Steele Canyon's Richie Williams (3) fools Hoover's JayDee Luster (1) on his way to the basket during Monday's Martin Luther King Classic game won by Steele Canyon 63-49. (1-17-05/Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)

Eagles make noise with upset of top-ranked, previously unbeaten Cougars
EastCountySports.com
 
EL CAJON - Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON called it the biggest win in the 45-year history of the Eagles' basketball program. "Has to be," Anderson emphasized. He was speaking of Tuesday's (Jan. 18) stunning 57-56 upset of Steele Canyon, the previously unbeaten No. 5-ranked team in the state.
 
Senior DAVID BAXTER scored 12 of his season-high 27 points in the final quarter to help the Eagles deal the Cougars only their third loss in 33 starts dating back to last year.
 
"For the most part we controlled the clock and the tempo," Anderson said. "We ran the shot clock down to five seconds every possession.  We played great halfcourt defense, and a did a reasonably good job against their pressure."
 
Despite a rigorous schedule, Steele Canyon (15-1,1-1) has grown accustomed to stomping on its opponents. The Cougars' average margin of victory is 20 points, and could be much higher if not for coach BRAD LEAF's penchant for emptying his bench when a favorable outcome is in hand.
 
Granite Hills (10-6, 2-0), on the other hand, is used to close encounters. The Eagles have won four games by two points or less. Three of those conquests have come in their last three starts. Two of their losses have come by three-point margins.
 
That's why Anderson knew his Eagles had taken the Cougars beyond the breakers and into uncharted waters for the final minute of Tuesday's Grossmont South League contest.
 
"I reminded our kids how we are used to these last-minute games and how Steele Canyon rarely has been in a position like this," Anderson said.  "It is a tribute to our kids that we pulled this one out."
 
Granite Hills led 26-17 at intermission, but the Cougars clawed back to take an 8-point advantage early in the 4th quarter. But the Eagles refused to fold. Granite Hills scrambled back behind the hot-handed Baxter to lead 56-50 with just over a minute remaining.
 
A rare 3-point bomb by SC's JASON BEAUCHAMP cut the Granite Hills lead in half. NICK TAYLOR then netted one of 2 free throws to nudge the Eagles' edge to 57-53 with 20 seconds remaining.
 
Steele Canyon kept coming, as GEORGE CUNNINGHAM canned a 3-pointer making it 57-56 with 0:08 left.
 
Neither team would shoot again, as both sides turned the ball over before the final buzzer sounded.
 
"I take all the blame for this loss," Leaf said. "I did not have my guys ready to play. And that's about all there is to say."
 
Steele Canyon was coming off a powerful victory over Hoover less than 24 hours earlier.
 
"I guess you could say it finally caught up to us," Leaf added. "No excuses, though. Granite Hills did a good job on the boards, because we didn't have many second shots."
 
Both coaches were quick to note the absentees from their lineups. Steele Canyon played without MVP senior guard RICHIE WILLIAMS (foot injury), while Granite Hills was without starting guard JUSTIN VILLANUEVA (ankle) and sharp-shooting guard RYAN SNYDER. However, Snyder did manage to play three minutes in the 4th quarter and contributed a key 3-pointer.
 
"Ryan had a bad ankle and I really didn't want to use him in this game," Anderson said. "But he asked if he could go in when it looked like some of the guys needed a break. Ryan really toughed it out and gave us some valuable help with the game on the line."
 
Taylor finished with 17 points, hitting 9 of 11 free throws. He also gobbled up 7 rebounds, while Baxter added 6 rebounds and 5 assists to his totals. RICKY PEITZ came off the bench for 4 steals.
 
WESLEY DAVIS paced Steele Canyon with 15 points, while Cunningham notched 14 points and 8 rebounds.
 
Don't look now, but these Eagles, who were tabbed for a second-to-last-place finish in the Grossmont South, are now tied for the circuit lead with Helix at 2-0. They are eight wins shy of the Granite Hills record for wins in a season.
 
Granite Hills scoring:  David Baxter 27, Nick Taylor 17, Clark Gordon 6, Kurtis Smith 3, Ryan Snyder 3, Ricky Peitz 1.
 
Steele Canyon scoring:  Wes Davis 15, George Cunningham 14, Raymond Williams 9, Jason Beauchamp 7, Emory Mitchell 4, Jacob Pruitt 5, Jake Ransom 2.
 
EL CAJON VALLEY 61,  EL CAPITAN 59 - El Cajon Valley's CAMERON SANTOS doesn't command a lot of attention from opposing teams, given that he has scored only 23 points all season. Yet, the 6-foot-1 senior made one of the biggest plays of the year for the Braves in Tuesday's (Jan. 18) Grossmont North League victory over visiting El Capitan.
 
With the game on the line and the Vaqueros' JOSH ZIEGLER driving to the basket for a potential game-winning basket with 0:04 remaining, Santos blocked Ziegler's shot saving the victory for El Cajon Valley (6-11, 1-1).
 
It was one of 6 blocks Santos had in the game.
 
ABRAHAM MUHEIZE canned 17 points to pace the Braves. He also collected 6 rebounds and handed out 5 assists.
 
FRANK COLLINS turned in an impressive double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, while blocking 3 shots and logging 3 steals. The senior standout was a factor at the foul line, clicking on 6 of 7 chances.
 
NATE SCHAD swished a career-high 4 three-pointers for the Braves, finishing with 13 points, 3 assists and a pair of steals. Teammate SHANE MYERS was limited to 6 points - half his season average - but made 5 steals and cleared 8 rebounds.
 
El Capitan's 6-foot-9 junior center CORY BROWN scored a career-high 28 points, nailing 11 of 16 shots from the field and 7 of 8 free throws. He also grabbed 12 rebounds, blocked 2 shots and made 2 steals.
 
"That big boy is a monster down low," said El Cajon Valley coach NATE REED. "He got us for 28 points, 18 points in the 1st half. We had to box him out. They didn⤙t go back to him in the 2nd half."
 
The Vaqueros' DANIEL KRUEGER picked up the void by scoring 13 points in the second half. For some unexplained reason, he did not play in the first half.
 
El Cajon Valley scoring:  Abraham Muheize 17, Frank Collins 13, Nate Schad 13, Shane Myers 6, Cameron Santos 6, Stephon Stafford 4, Chris Reynolds 2.
 
El Capitan scoring:  Cory Brown 28, Daniel Krueger 13, David Reeder 10, Josh Ziegler 5, Jason Ziegler 3.
 
GROSSMONT 54,  SANTANA 52 - TYLER HAJOSY clicked on 9 of 10 free throws in the game, three coming in the final 1:20 Tuesday (Jan. 18) as the Foothillers came from behind to dump host Santana in a Grossmont North League affair.
 
Hajosy, a 6-foot-2 senior wing, finished with 20 points while senior floor leader TYLER BARBOUR added 12 points and 8 assists.
 
It was an evening of frustration for Santana (8-11, 1-1), which led by 8 points at the half and increased its advantage by as much as 14 points in the 3rd quarter.
 
Grossmont (10-8, 1-1) kept pecking away until a lay-up by Barbour gave the Hillers a 49-48 advantage with 2:30 remaining.
 
Seconds later, JON HERNANDEZ, who scored a career-high 30 points, put the Sultans back on top when he sank a pair of free throws.
 
With the issue still in doubt, a ROBERT GANGE put-back lifted the Hillers in front 51-50 with 1:20 remaining.
 
It became free throw time down the stretch with Hajosy giving Grossmont the final say.
 
"I feel if we had had another possession in the 4th quarter we would have put the nail in the coffin," said Santana coach TIM BARRY.
 
Grossmont netted only nine field goals in a 33-point second half dominated by fouls and free throws. The Hillers' combination of Hajosy and Barbour were a combined 9-for-9 from the line in the 3rd quarter and 15-for-19 in the game.
 
Hernandez, who came in averaging 10.8 points per outing, included four 3-pointers in his pinnacle performance. He was the only Santana player to score more than 8 points, however.
 
"He had a phenomenal game," said Barry. "He really made a statement tonight."
 
Santana's RICKY MICHELMORE was playing with an injury tonight and saw limited playing time," Barry added. "He hurt his back against El Cajon Valley. He's been to the chiropractor twice, but his back is still hurting."
 
Grossmont scoring:  Tyler Hajosy 20, Tyler Barbour 12, Casey Rummel 7, Luis Gonzales 6, Robert Gange 5, Dominic Elder 4.
 
Santana scoring:  Jon Hernandez 30, Jon Corbisez 8, Billy Wickens 5, Ricky Michelmore 5, Brooks Bass 4.
 
MONTE VISTA 61,  VALHALLA 52 - Despite losing leading scorer BRANDYN HARVEY to an ankle injury in the 2nd quarter of Tuesday's (Jan. 18) Grossmont South League contest, the Monarchs snapped a five-game losing streak on the strength of CLINTON SNYDER's 15 points and 9 rebounds.
 
Snyder, who is bound for Stanford on a football scholarship, returned to the lineup after missing last Friday's game due to illness. All but one of his points came in the second half against the Norsemen.

"We couldn't stop Snyder in the 2nd half," said Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS. "He made 8 points in the 3rd quarter."
 
ALLAN WATSON added 12 points and 6 rebounds for Monte Vista (6-11, 1-1), which has won only two of its last eight decisions.
 
TREVOR PECK chipped in 9 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists for the Monarchs, who stormed in front 17-10 in the 1st quarter and then held on.
 
For the Norsemen, it was a major night of frustration. KYLE LUHNOW dropped in 15 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and blocked 2 shots, while VINCE HOUSTON netted 13 points and passed out 4 assists.
 
Those were the high points for the Norsemen, who connected on only one of 12 shots from beyond the arc. Overall, the Norsemen shot a respectable 45 percent from the field until you realize they missed 9 shots inside the paint. To make the defeat even more resounding is the fact Valhalla missed 11 of its 20 free throws.
 
Monte Vista's JOEY BELANGER hit a key 3-pointer the 4th quarter to put Monte Vista up by 9 points.
 
"That pretty much put the game away," mused Thomas. "We gave up a lay-up at the end of each quarter. That's just a lack of pride."
 
Monte Vista scoring:  Clinton Snyder 15, Allan Watson 12, Trevor Peck 9, Remil Landrum 7, Brandyn Harvey 5, Ryan Slade 5, Chris Humphries 4, Joey Belanger 3, Bobby Guinto 1. 
 
Valhalla scoring:  Kyle Luhnow 15, Vince Houston 13, Ronnie Schwandt 8, Paul Martins 7, Conner Ruyeras 5, Brett Hansen 4.
 
HELIX 56,  MOUNT MIGUEL 40 - The visiting Highlanders put host Mount Miguel behind the 8-ball after one quarter of Tuesday's (Jan. 18) Grossmont South League game in Spring Valley.
 
Senior guard LANCE HURDLE scored 11 of his game-best 20 points and AARON TINSLEY netted half of his 12 points in the 1st quarter as Helix (14-3, 2-0) maintained its share of the Grossmont South lead.
 
"I'm not sure why it is, but winning Tuesday road games is very tough," Helix coach JOHN SINGER said. "It's always been that way. So I guess I should be pleased that we got this one as easily as we did."
 
News of Steele Canyon's upset caught Singer by surprise. The Highlanders, who have won 7 in a row and 10 of 11, might think the door is open to the Grossmont South title, but Singer is taking any such celebration plans with much reservation.

"Heck, there is a long ways to go," he said. "They could beat us twice and still end up the champions of our league. I'm not taking any team or anything for granted."
 
Mount Miguel (6-12, 0-2), which trailed by nine at the half, cut the deficit to three with 3:40 to play in the 3rd quarter. At that point, the Matadors' comeback bid lost momentum as Helix claimed a 17-4 scoring edge the remainder of the way.
 
"They killed us on the boards, especially in the 1st half," said Mount Miguel coach MIKE GOLOVKO. "They are real active and physical. We were getting good open shots but were unable to put them down. I thought we did a fine job defensively, held Helix under their average and held Lance Hurdle under his."
 
Small consolation.
 
Helix scoring:  Lance Hurdle 20, Aaron Tinsley 12, Brandon Brown 7, David Jefferson 6, Clinton Shelton 6, Lawrence Hurdle 3, Matt Caldwell 2.
 
Mount Miguel scoring:  Greg Monroe 11, Michael Love 11, Eddie DeArcos 7, Kenny Key 7, Karlin Stewart 2, Bud Newborn 2.
(01-18-05)

Williams brothers remove the Luster from Hoover
EastCountySports.com
 
SAN DIEGO -- Steele Canyon guards RICHIE and RAYMOND WILLIAMS have been in the pressure cooker before, but JayDee Luster, Hoover's super sophomore, found Monday (Jan. 17) was a night that he'd just as soon forget. While Luster was firing up blanks, junior Raymond Williams was scoring a career-high 23 points as the Cougars clubbed the host Cardinals 63-49 in front of a standing-room only crowd at Hoover in the final game of the Martin Luther King Classic.
 
It was a case of scoring yet another one for the experienced team.
 
Guarding with man defense throughout the contest, the Williams' brothers limited Luster to a mere 4 points, as the top-ranked Cougars rebuffed Hoove's intentions to garner a Top Ten berth after building a 27-point lead in the 3rd quarter.
 
Richie Williams took the opening salvo at stopping Luster in the 1st period, forcing four turnovers. But when a nagging foot injury acted up, his younger brother Raymond took over, shutting the Hoover standout the rest of the way. Luster eventually fouled out, returning to the bench after a disappointing 2-for-17 shooting performance and missing all eight of his foul shots.
 
"I know that's not going to happen the next time we play them," noted Steele Canyon coach BRAD LEAF, who expects to meet Hoover in the San Diego Section Division II finals on March 5 at USD's Jenny Craig Pavillion.  "We simply tried to disrupt him, that's all."
 
Meanwhile, forward GEORGE CUNNNGHAM chucked in 16 points and a game-best 14 rebounds for the Cougars (15-0), who have won 18 of their last 19 and 30 of their last 32 starts.
 
Rebounding proved to be a key difference in the 2nd half, allowing the Cougars to stretch a 34-29 lead at the intermission to 60-33 moments into the 4th period. WES DAVIS provided the needed work on the boards, grabbing 7 of his 13 caroms in the 3rd, when the Cards were outscored, 21-4, to silence one of the largest crowds at Hoover in perhaps 40 years.  Davis also swiped 6 passes and blocked 4 shots.
 
"We kept up the defensive pressure," said Raymond Williams. "We have to do that every game, or else that⤙s how another team can shock you and upset you."
 
Despite playing at less than 100 percent, Richie Williams added 9 points and six assists.
 
"Richie was hurting, limping the whole game," Leaf said. "He got stepped on again. He didn't want to come out of the game, but I decided that was the best move for him and our team."
 
Meanwhile, forward JASON BEAUCHAMP registered yet another double-double with 12 points and 12 boards to offset Cardinals forward Ryon White, who posted 13 points and 8 boards.
 
Beauchamp spent the weekend on a football recruiting trip to the University of Nevada, returning home only hours prior to the tipoff at Hoover.
 
The Cougars mounted a 51-34 advantage on the boards, including 22 offensive rebounds, scoring 10 second-chance points in the third to pull away.
 
"I don't have time to go out and really scout these teams," said Leaf, who noted that he had not seen Hoover play in a game this season. Thus, the Cardinals (10-7) were hanging with the section's best team for the first 16 minutes, as the Cougars led by only 5 at the break.
 
"It was a track meet in the first half," Leaf said. "Then we made some adjustments at halftime that sort of swung things in our favor."
 
Steele Canyon scoring: Raymond Williams 23, George Cunningham 16, Jason Beauchamp 12, Richie Williams 11, Wes Davis 3.
(01-17-05)

Sultans almost miss chance to play, then miss chances to win
EastCountySports.com
 
SAN DIEGO -- TIM BARRY's alarm clock sounded with a more-than-usual urgent ring Saturday morning (Jan. 15). Somehow a miscommunication between the Santana coach and the folks conducting the Martin Luther King Showcase at Mission Bay High caused Barry to scramble to assemble his players in rapid fashion. Seems Barry thought his Sultans were to participate in this event on Monday (Jan. 17).
 
MISSION BAY 61,  SANTANA 53 - The sleepy-eyed Sultans fell behind 15-7 in the 1st period, but rebounded to gain a 34-27 advantage in the middle two quarters of Saturday's (Jan. 15) contest at Mission Bay.
 
"I thought we played on Monday (Jan. 17), but I found out this morning that we played today at noon, instead," said Santana coach TIM BARRY. "So I had to call all of my players this morning. Fortunately, we all got to the game. We started with eight players, had nine by the 2nd quarter."
 
However, Santana (8-10) basically ran out of gas down the stretch after holding a 6-point lead in the 3rd quarter as the Buccaneers pushed the Sultans off the plank in the 4th quarter.
 
"It was a disaster," Barry said. "We practiced Friday for (the) Grossmont (game, slated for Friday, Jan. 21)."
 
The Bucs bowled over Santana during the final 8 minutes, 19-12.
 
"(Mission Bay) shot the ball well, made seven or eight 3s," said Barry. "Because of the confusion we had players in different positions getting more minutes than they were used to getting. For example, BROOKS BASS averages 18 to 19 minutes a game. Today, he got 29 minutes. I'm really frustrated over the whole situation."
 
RICKY MICHELMORE was the ringleader for Santana, nailing down 16 points and grabbing 13 boards. Michelmore buried a trio of 3-pointers, hit 5 of 6 free throws and dished a pair of assists.
 
TAI PURPERO bucketed 12 points and snagged 4 rebounds, while JON HERNANDEZ hammered in 11 points, plucked 6 rebounds and handed out 4 assists.
 
Santana scoring:  Ricky Michelmore 16, Tai Purpero 12, Jon Hernandez 11, Jon Corbisez 8, Billy Wickens 4, Brooks Bass 2.
(01-15-05)
 

Boys openers have comeback, last-second heroics
EastCountySports.com
 
SANTEE - West Hills overcame a 15-point second half deficit to turn back upset-minded Grossmont in Friday's (Jan. 14) Grossmont North League opener. Granite Hills pulled out a 49-47 Grossmont South League win on NICK TAYLOR's three-pointer with 0:03 left. Helix rolled over Monte Vista as CLINTON SNYDER missed the game due to illness. And Mount Miguel played a strong 1st half before Steele Canyon turned on the jets to win by 17.
 
WEST HILLS 48,  GROSSMONT 42 - With its offense in cold storage for the first 17 minutes of Friday's (Jan. 14) Grossmont North League opener, the host Wolf Pack eventually warmed up to turn the tables in its favor.
 
Down 25-14 at the half,  West Hills watched Grossmont long-ranger TYLER HAJOSY nail a pair of 3-pointers in the first minute of the 3rd quarter. To say the least, the Pack's outlook was bleak at that point.
 
West Hills (8-8, 1-0) refused to freeze. The Pack defense hardened, limiting the Hillers to a pair of free throws over the final seven minutes of the 3rd period. Thus, the final quarter began with Grossmont (9-8, 0-1) clinging to a 33-31 edge.
 
In the 3rd quarter Wolf Pack standout MATT GILSON registered his only two buckets for the night. It was a nifty recovery for 6-foot-2 senior, who has been bothered by a hamstring pull since the third game of the season. In the 1st half, Gilson went 0-for-6, "couldn't buy a basket," noted West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG.
 
"It's going to take awhile for Matt to get rested, coming off an injury," Armstrong said. "It will do us all good to have the bye on Tuesday, and not play until next Friday (Jan. 21 when they travel to Santana)."
 
Hajosy was a force for the Foothillers, landing a game-high 24 points including his 38th and 39th 3-pointers of the season. Senior point guard TYLER BARBOUR added 12 points. The remainder of the Foothillers contributed just one basket and a total of six points.
 
"Grossmont had nothing to lose and everything to gain coming over here tonight,"  Armstrong said. "They played a very good 2nd quarter (earning a 16-8 edge during that eight minutes). Grossmont was tough in the 1st half, then things kinda changed in the 2nd half and went our way."
 
KYLE HAMANN, back in the lineup after suffering a fractured fibula, went into the game in the 4th quarter after a brief stint in the 1st, and scored 8 of the Pack's 17 points in the final period
 
"Kyle hit two huge 3s and a bucket for us," Armstrong said.
 
The bottom line of the West Hills offense didn't change as senior post RYAN SHUMAKER was the Wolf Pack's main man with 20 points.
 
"Shu was tough tonight, hard to stop in the 2nd half," said Armstrong. â¤He had 14 points in the 2nd half -- 8 in the 4th quarter. It was a great game for Ryan Shumaker -- he was pretty consistent all night long."
 
"Kyle and Shu tag-teamed for 16 of our 17 points in the 4th quarter. Kyle just came alive."
 
West Hills' key victory was not all about who scored what. MATT SUTTON did not score but earned the praise of his coach.
 
"Matt came in the final four minutes of the game and did a good job defensively, and had a couple of nice passes on the offensive end," Armstrong said. "He played very well in those four minutes. He provides a lot of senior leadership and doesn't turn the ball over. He was instrumental in our victory tonight."
 
Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO was obviously disappointed that his team failed to maintain a double-digit lead in the second half.
 
"We played very good defense in the 1st half, but broke down in the 2nd half," Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO said. "They ran their offense real well in the 2nd half. We didn't adjust well to what they were trying in the 2nd half."
 
West Hills scoring:  Ryan Shumaker 20, E.J. Brown 9, Kyle Hamann 8, Matt Gilson 4, Nathan Muzquiz 3, Peter Gilson 2, Quentin London 2.
 
Grossmont scoring:  Tyler Hajosy 24, Tyler Barbour 12, Robert Gange 3, Justin Rutherford 2, Luis Gonzales 1.
 
GRANITE HILLS 49,  VALHALLA 47 - This was a battle of the icebergs. No, make that ice cubes. A week off certainly did not help these two teams as they put a chill on Friday's (Jan. 14) Grossmont South League opener at Valhalla.
 
The Eagles (9-6, 1-0), who missed their first 10 shots and connected on only 28 percent of their 64 shots, escaped with a victory thanks to NICK TAYLOR's 3-pointer with 0:03 remaining.
 
Valhalla missed a chance for a victory or at least a chance to send the game into overtime when VINCE HOUSTON's desperation 3-pointer missed at the buzzer.
 
But the game came down to Taylor, who was left open due to a poor decision by the Valhalla defender.

"We went for the steal instead of staying in front of Taylor and contesting his shot," lamented Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS. "Our defender had the edge in height, which would have only made that shot more difficult. But once our guy flew by, Taylor was wide open."
 
Taylor, East County's top 3-point shooter, was a forgettable 2-for-10 from above the arc. Yet, he pushed his East County-leading bull'seyes to 44 with his winning knockout punch.
 
"I knew I just needed to keep on shooting, and eventually they'd fall," said Taylor, who was an unspectacular 5-for-20 from the floor.
 
Taylor led a so-called balanced attack with 13 points. DAVID BAXTER riveted in 12 points, while KURTIS SMITH netted 10 for the Eagles who also received a clutch 8 points off the bench from RICKY PEITZ. Five of Peitz points came in the final quarter.
 
"We were cold shooting at the beginning, but Kurtis and CLARK (GORDON) were tough on the boards for us," Taylor said. "This was a big win for us."
 
Smith finished with 12 rebounds, four less than game leader Gordon.
 
â¤We just crashed in every time and they weren't boxing out," Smith said.  "But we bailed them out by fouling too much. That's what made this a closer game than it needed to be."
 
Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON was unhappy by the Eagles 4-for-12 free throw shooting.
 
"Our free throw shooting was horrible," Anderson said. "We came through when we had to. But I don't want to say it shouldn't have been that close because Valhalla really battled. They earned their comeback, but we gave it away a little bit, too."
 
KYLE LUHNOW, who turned a pair of steals into transition baskets in the final four minutes that helped Valhalla (8-9, 0-1) gain a 47-44 lead, finished with 12 points to share Norsemen high-point with CONNER RUYERAS. Luhnow also garnered 7 rebounds, 4 steals and a pair of blocks.
 
"We were out of sorts," Thomas said. "It was pathetic to watch us play defense and rebound. Offensively, we were worse than we were defensively."
 
Granite Hills scoring:  Nick Taylor 13, David Baxter 12, Kurtis Smith 10, Ricky Peitz 8, Ryan Snyder 2, Clark Gordon 2, Branden Pride 2.
 
Valhalla scoring:  Kyle Luhnow 12, Conner Ruyeras 12, Vince Houston 9, Jordan Maitilasso 6, Ronnie Schwandt 5, Paul Martins 3.
 
HELIX 68,  MONTE VISTA 35 - The visiting Monarchs played with one wing down in Friday's (Jan. 14) Grossmont South League opener at Helix. Incapacitated by illness, the absence of powerful front man CLINTON SNYDER had to make Monte Vista coach ZACH PECK sick.
 
"Our kids got so excited when they found out that (6-foot-4, 215-pound football player) Snyder wasn't going to play," Helix coach JOHN SINGER said. "I chewed them out about concerning themselves with Snyder and what was going on with Monte Vista. Our game plan is to worry about what we want to do, not what the other team is doing."
 
It was all Helix, as the No. 5-ranked Highlanders (13-3, 1-0) hustled to a 30-16 halftime lead and never looked back. Helix outscored the Monarchs (5-11, 0-1) in every quarter.
 
This was an unusually balanced Helix attack, governed by the leadership of senior guard LANCE HURDLE (19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks).
 
"We aren't the best scoring crew in town," Singer said. "We just nickel-and-dime you to death."
 
Senior BRANDON BROWN clicked on half of his 12 shots for 13 points, while reeling in 4 rebounds and 3 steals for Helix.
 
"He took good, high percentage shots," Singer said of the versatile Brown.  "He defended well and took everything under balance. He's a hard-nosed kid who isn't afraid to take a charge."
 
CLINTON SHELTON controlled the boards, collecting 13 caroms, while chipping in 8 points for the Highlanders who posted their 6th straight win. Helix has won 9 of its last 10.
 
Singer's shower of accolades also canvassed BRANDON FOUNTAIN (3-for-5, six points) and MATT CALDWELL (7 points, 11 rebounds).
 
BRANDYN HARVEY led Monte Vista with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks.
 
Helix scoring:  Lance Hurdle 19, Brandon Brown 13, Clinton Shelton 8, Brandon Fountain 6, Matt Caldwell 7, Lawrence Hurdle 4, David Jefferson 4, Sean Scarber 2, Edwin Hutsona 2, Aaron Tinsley 2, Robert Carter 1.
 
Monte Vista scoring:  Brandyn Harvey 11, Allan Watson 6, Ryan Slade 4, Remil Landrum 4, Trevor Peck 3, Chris Humphries 3, Nick Garcia 2, Joey Belanger 2.
 
STEELE CANYON 61,  MOUNT MIGUEL 46  -- For a while, host Mount Miguel gave the heavily favored Steele Canyon Cougars something to think about in Friday's (Jan. 14) Grossmont South League opener for both teams.
 
That is, the Matadors battled the Cougars even after one period at 13-all, and trailed only 31-25 by the break.
 
"We competed and handled the pressure well," said Mount Miguel coach MIKE GOLOVKO. "They are a great team. Cunningham really makes them go."
 
And the 6-foot-7 GEORGE CUNNINGHAM did put a charge in the Cougars (14-0, 1-0), finishing with a career-high 27 points and 17 rebounds. The senior post nailed 9 of 15 shots from the floor and 8 of 12 free throws. For good measure, he picked up a pair of steals.
 
No doubt Cunningham was shouldering more of the inside load than usual for the Cougars, who played without 6-foot-4 senior JASON BEAUCHAMP, their most physical player. Beauchamp, a stellar linebacker at Steele Canyon, was on a football recruiting trip to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. He is expected to return to the Cougars' lineup in time for Monday's (Jan. 17) Martin Luther King nightcap at Hoover at 7:30 p.m.
 
In the first two games of the MLK triple-header, El Camino takes on Eastlake at 3:30 p.m. and La Costa Canyon battles Horizon at 5:30 p.m.  Five of the six teams are currently ranked among the San Diego Section's Top 10, and El Camino (Division I), Steele Canyon (Division III) and Horizon (Division IV) are division champions for the section from a year ago.
 
RICHIE WILLIAMS, recovering from a high ankle sprain, looked to be a bit rusty against the Matadors (5-12, 0-1) despite finishing with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. Williams showed that he was not getting his accustomary lift to his shot, thus resulting in 8-for-19 accuracy.
 
KENNY KEY paced the Matadors with 14 points, 8 rebounds and a pair of blocks. DEVIYON CARTER canned 12 points, while EDDIE DeARCOS drilled in 9 and procured 6 rebounds. BUD NEWBORN contributed 4 assists and a pair of steals to Mount Miguel's totals.
 
Steele Canyon coach BRAD LEAF could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts to contact him.
 
Steele Canyon scoring:  George Cunningham 27, Richie Williams 21, Wes Davis 4, Raymond Williams 4, Jake Ransom 2, Corey Morfey 2, Lionell Ball 1.  
 
Mount Miguel scoring:  Kenny Key 14, Deviyon Carter 12, Eddie DeArcos 9, Greg Monroe 4, Darren Newborn 3, Nick Campbell 2, Karlin Stewart 2.
 
HOOVER 85,  CHRISTIAN 44 -- Following his team's meeting Hoover guard JayDee Luster -- one of the premier underclassmen in the San Diego Section -- Christian High coach KEN BAILEY came away with a smile on his face.

In the purest basketball sense, Bailey enjoyed the court-prowess of Luster, who recorded game-highs of 30 points and 8 assists. But he also was happy with the way his Patriots played despite falling on the short end of Friday's (Jan. 14) Harbor League opener at Ryan Athletic Center.

"JayDee definitely has Division I quickness and has tremendous court awareness," said Bailey. "He will lead them to the Harbor League championship and the (San Diego Section) CIF championship."
 
That's quite an endorsement for the Cardinals (9-6, 1-0), who host another fairly strong Division II squad in Steele Canyon on Monday (Jan. 17) at 7:30 p.m.
 
Luster produced a game-full of totals in the opening six minutes, igniting the Cardinals to a 22-2 first-quarter lead, personally getting a hand on six of the team's first seven scores. He opened a pair of excellent inside passes in traffic, finding Todd Doxey for layins. Later, he added another assist, hit a pair of foul shots, then drove the paint for two baskets, including one for a 3-point play.

It didn't seem to matter who attempted to guard Luster, who celebrated his 16th birthday Friday (Jan. 14), by quickly taking the shine off any Patriots hopes of staying in the contest. He was joined by 6-foot-8 teammate Ryon White, who poured in 28 points and grabbed 15 rebounds against a Patriots lineup without a player taller than 6-3.

Luster & Co. won't have any cakewalk to the league title, either. That's because Crawford's lineup has been fortified by former Christian High standout Tyrone Shelley, who was declared eligible by the SDCIF earlier in the week. Playing on the Colts' junior varsity because the proper paperwork was never filed, Shelley pumped in 42 points in the Colts' league-opening win over Madision.

Meanwhile, Christian (7-10, 0-1) actually won the third period to cut into a 45-14 halftime deficit against the Cards.

"The good news is we actually played well and committed very few turnovers, cutting them down in the second half," added Bailey.

The Pats only turned the ball over eight times following the intermission, shooting better than 50 percent (11-of-21) from the field.

"They pressed us early and we handed it to them," said Christian assistant coach ADAM COX. "We didn't get into our offense until the 2nd half."

C.J. SCHROEDER paced the Pats with 10 points and six rebounds, including a pair of 3-balls, while DEREK LARSEN added nine points, five boards and three steals.

Christian scoring:  C.J. Schroeder 10, Derek Larson 9, Wayne Richards 10, Blaine Fodor 5, Grant Mills 4, Kellen Rossitto 2, Lawrence Walker 2, Justin Ballard 2.
(01-14-05)

Sharp-shooting Michelmore leads Sultans to opening night win
EastCountySports.com
 
SANTEE - It wasn't a classic opening night performance by Santana as the Sultans tipped off the Grossmont North League season on Thursday (Jan. 13). But it was solid enough to snap a six-game losing streak, as the Sultans skipped past visiting El Cajon Valley 63-51.
 
Santana's RICKY MICHELMORE was at his best, matching his season high of 24 points while hauling in 14 rebounds, The 6-foot-1 junior guard was deadly from the free throw line, landing 8 of 11 chances to pace the Sultans (8-9, 1-0). He netted 4 three-pointers and also collected 3 steals.
 
JONATHAN HERNANDEZ popped in a trio of 3-pointers en route to a 17-point night. The junior southpaw was 7-for-12 from the field.
 
"I thought our guards played outstanding," noted Santana coach TIM BARRY. "The perimeter shooting was just outstanding."
 
Santana was 8-for-20 from above the arc. Nearer the paint, the Sultans were not so accurate, hitting just 13 of 39 shots.
 
"We struggled in close to the basket, but had some great post entry passes from the perimeter," Barry said. "We missed 8, maybe 9 opportunities from point blank range."
 
BROOKS BASS had 4 assists for the Sultans, one more than Hernandez.
 
SHANE MYERS knocked down 20 points to lead El Cajon Valley (5-11, 0-1), FRANK COLLINS added 12 points, connecting for two of the Braves' five 3-pointers.
 
Santana scoring:  Ricky Michelmore 24, Jon Hernandez 17, Garrett Happ 7, Brooks Bass 4, Jon Corbisez 3, Billy Wickens 3, Tai Purpero 3, Luke Eisele 2.
 
El Cajon Valley scoring:  Shane Myers 20, Frank Collins 12, Nate Schad 8, Abraham Muheize 4, Chris Reynolds 4, Wisam Patros 3.
(01-13-05)

Cougars, Wolf Pack tabbed to take Grossmont titles
EastCountySports.com
 
LA MESA -- Helix coach JOHN SINGER has been a winner all of his basketball life. He was a backup to the infamous BILL WALTON as a player under the leadership of soft-spoken GORDON NASH in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Singer's also been on key as one of the San Diego CIF's top boys basketball coaches in his 24 years as Helix's gruff, no non-sense commander.
 
Yet, not even Singer, who owns an overall record of 436-186 at the Helix helm, can be expected to say he has a plan to deny Steele Canyon a second straight Grossmont South League flag.
 
On the other side of the conference, it's all about the physical condition of the West Hills prime-time players. If the Pack is fit, West Hills fans will celebrate a second Grossmont North League title in a row. If not, the Grossmont North flag is up for grabs.
 
Here is the predicted order of finish in the Grossmont Conference's league races that begin on Thursday (Jan. 13) when Santana hosts El Cajon Valley at 6 p.m.
 
GROSSMONT SOUTH LEAGUE
 
1. STEELE CANYON (13-0):  In just their 3rd varsity season, the Cougars rank as the only undefeated team in Southern California. Yet, Steele Canyon remains No. 5 in the USA TODAY Western Regional poll and is absent from the newspaper's weekly Super's 25.
 
Steele Canyon has beaten more out-of-area powerhouses than any team in the USA TODAY "Good-Ol'-Boy" ratings. For the moment, though, the Cougars are hoping San Diego State bound-guard RICHIE WILLIAMS is pronounced fit for games against Mount Miguel (Friday, Jan.14) and Hoover (Jan. 17).
 
With or without Richie, the remaining members of this talented group should bring the Cougars a pair of wins against this talented line of opponents.
 
In the long run, nobody in East County is capable of denying Steele Canyon the league title.
 
2. HELIX (12-3):  Nary an East County guard can match the overall performance of Helix senior LANCE HURDLE, who carries a 26.4 scoring average, shoots better than 53 percent from the floor, averages 5 assists and 3 steals per outing. His supporting cast is overmatched by Steele Canyon's blue chip lineup.
 
3. MONTE VISTA (5-10): The Monarchs don't have a lot of unity, but they do have multiple talents in 6-4 post CLINTON SNYDER and sharp-shooting guard
BRANDYN HARVEY.  Both are standout athletes whose skills fit better in football than basketball.
 
4. VALHALLA (8-8):  The Norsemen won't win it, but they may decide who does. This is a team that knows how to score, but lacks discipline to defend.
 
5. GRANITE HILLS (8-6): The free-wheeling Eagles are East County's best 3-ball shooters, but lack confidence and have too many holes to pull off a significant upset.
 
6. MOUNT MIGUEL (5-11): Too many problems here to take these Matadors seriously.
 
GROSSMONT NORTH
 
1. WEST HILLS (7-8): If coach JEFF ARMSTRONG ever gets a clean bill of health for his injury-riddled Wolf Pack, running the table is a keen possibility for defending-champion West Hills. Nobody on this side of town has an answer for 6-foot-6, 285-pound West Hills senior RYAN SHUMAKER or four-year backcourt veteran MATTHEW GILSON.
 
2. GROSSMONT (9-7): The Hillers are seeking their first loop title in five years and have a bona fide shot of submarining the Pack. Four-year veteran point guard TYLER BARBOUR is the Foothillers' heartbeat. TYLER HAJOSY has long range shooting ability and ROBERT GANGE is decent in the post.
 
3. SANTANA (7-9): If the Sultans regain the offensive presence that helped them embark on a 5-1 start to the season, they could make a league title run.
 
4. EL CAPITAN (5-11): The Vaqueros have the tallest contributor in the league in 6-foot-9 CORY BROWN and a quality outside shooter in DANIEL KRUEGER â¤" a combination that could take El Capitan to the top.
 
5. EL CAJON VALLEY (5-10):  Coach NATE REED's Braves are not willing to throw their hands in the air as in "here we go again." Once this band of Braves passes the latest academic grading next week, Reed's bunch will be taken seriously.
 
HARBOR LEAGUE
 
Christian High was supposedly going to have to struggle to get even a couple of wins this season. But now, under first-year head coach KEN BAILEY, the Patriots are hanging around the .500  level and hoping for more. Even a second-place finish in the Harbor is not out of the realm of possibility.
(01-10-05)

Patriots crush newcomer San Ysidro to prep for Harbor play
EastCountySports.com
 
SAN YSIDRO - Coach KEN BAILEY believes his Christian High Patriots are ready for the start of Harbor League play, which begins on Friday (Jan. 11).
 
"It's great to head into the (Harbor) League coming off a good effort," said Bailey after the visiting Patriots (7-9) whipped San Ysidro 62-44 in a non-league game Wednesday (Jan. 12) in South Bay.
 
WAYNE RICHARDS was the spearhead of a balanced Christian High attack with 15 points. BLAINE FODOR added 13 points and DEREK LARSEN chipped in a dozen.
 
Christian raced to a 16-5 first quarter lead and then closed with a 16-9 rush in the final period.
 
"We started off playing tough defense, held them to one shot every time down the floor, and grabbed a bunch of rebounds," Bailey said. "Richards did a great job of penetrating from his point guard slot, and Fodor did marvelously in the low post.
 
"We wanted to pound the ball down inside. We forced them into a lot of fouls in the 4th quarter."
 
Christian scoring:  Wayne Richards 15, Blaine Fodor 13, Derek Larsen 12, Grant Mills 8, C.J. Schroeder 6, Lawrence Walker 4, Kellen Rossitto 4.
(01-12-05)

Cougars overcome sluggish start to roll past Muir
EastCountySports.com
 
CHULA VISTA --No matter how difficult the challenge, the Steele Canyon Cougars always seem to come up with a remedy that gives opponents fits. Pasadena Muir was the latest victim of the Cougars' magic in Saturday's (Jan. 8) inaugural Otay Ranch Shootout.
 
Rated No. 5 in the Western Region by USA TODAY and No. 1 in the San Diego Section, Steele Canyon (13-0) overcame a sluggish start to defeat a powerful Pasadena Muir squad 69-55.
 
"Our rotation was a little bit off in the first half," said Steele Canyon senior guard RICHIE WILLIAMS, who finished with 22 points, 10 steals and 8 assists. "Coach Leaf told us to just keep doing what we were doing and eventually we started making plays."
 
Even so, the game was closer than the final score indicates. It took a 16-0 run in the 3rd quarter to allow Steele Canyon to post its 13th win in as many decisions this season. The Cougars have won 17 of their last 18 dating back to last year.
 
"We're a streaky team," said Richie Williams, who clicked on 8 of 10 free throws. "Whenever we get on a roll, there is no stopping us."
 
Led by sharp-shooting guard Harold Cleveland, Muir used a 10-1 scoring burst to erase an 8-2 Steele Canyon lead. The teams matched baskets the remainder of the first half - the game was tied six times ending at 32-all by intermission.
 
A defensive move by Leaf at the start of the 2nd period started swaying momentum to Steele Canyon. The coach assigned junior WES DAVIS to guard the hot-handed Cleveland, who hit 4 of his first 5 shots for 9 points in the 1st quarter.
 
Not only did the 6-foot-2 Davis shut out the Mustangs' top scorer (26 ppg), he allowed the 6-2 senior only one shot in the 2nd period.
 
"Wes is our stopper, the guy who puts the clamps on the other team's big scorer," Leaf said. "I'd put Wes against any 1, 2 or 3 in the state of California. The kid can play defense."
 
After Muir moseyed in front 37-34 at the start of the 3rd period, the Cougars put together one of their patent scoring streaks.
 
"We always seem to get one of those 2-or-3 minute periods where everything goes our way," Leaf said. 
 
Junior RAY WILLIAMS scored 8 of his 12 points during Steele Canyon's five-minute, 16-0 blitz in the third period. His brother Richie added 7 markers and board-banger JASON BEAUCHAMP contributed 3.
 
After that, Muir (9-5) never got closer than 10.
 
"They started arguing and fighting with each other and that took them out of their game," Richie Williams said.
 
Senior GEORGE CUNNINGHAM registered Steele Canyon's lone 3-pointer as he matched his season high of 26 points. The 6-foot-7 post man delivered 9 buckets in 15 shots and converted 7 of 9 free throws. He also collected 8 rebounds, blocked a shot and made a pair of steals.
 
One of the 'Cats unsung heroes was the 6-foot-4 Beauchamp, who used his football linebacker smarts to stand up to the body-bumping boys from Pasadena.
 
"They wanted to play rough and tough and I love that," Beauchamp said. "It just makes me play better."
 
Beauchamp bagged 13 rebounds, scored 8 points and blocked 2 shots. He also narrowly missed executing a highlight reel dunk when he flew above a pack of rebounders while attempting to stuff an offensive ricochet.
 
"I was looking down at the rim," Beauchamp said. "When I knew I had control of the ball (while in midair) I was thinking I'm going throw this down extremely hard. But I did it so hard it came off wrong."
 
It did not matter. The majority of the day belonged to Steele Canyon.
 
"We were really hyped for this game," Beauchamp said. "Coach has been talking about it for quite a while. That's what makes it such a great win."
 
Steele Canyon scoring:  George Cunningham 26, Richie Williams 22, Raymond Williams 12, Jason Beauchamp 8, Wes Davis 1.
 
MISSION HILLS 63, CHRISTIAN 44 -- Hard-charging Christian High rallied from a 14-point deficit to close within three points with 4:04 remaining, with host Mission Hills already losing two starters to fouls. Indeed, the Patriots seemed on their way to an upset, but just a single timeout doomed them.
 
The Grizzlies, coached by former Christian High mentor CURTIS HOFMEISTER, sent his troops out on the floor to press full-court, immediately springing five consecutive turnovers. And with easy transition baskets at the other end, Mission Hills closed the contest on a 22-6 run to escape with the non-league victory Saturday (Jan. 8) afternoon at Grizzly Pavilion in San Marcos.
 
"Christian definitely played great to get back into the game," noted Hofmeister, who last guided the Patriots during the 2002-03 season. "They stayed with their game plan, played under control and were disciplined."
 
Carrying the momentum of a 3-point play on a drive to the basket by Genesis Read, the Grizzlies seemed poised for the win by leading 41-30 with 6:53 to play.
 
However, Christian was finally able to break through behind WAYNE RICHARDS, who took the ball and drove to the basket, converting short jumpers or sinking free throws on his way to a game-high 15 points. And when Richards split a pair of taller defenders for a layin with just over four minutes remaining, the margin was trimmed to 41-38.
 
"We tried to press them the whole game, but it only worked in spurts," added Hofmeister. "So we tried to pick up the pace and make them play at an uncomfortable speed."
 
Mission Hills guard Mickael Neblock also scored 15 points, while Erik Casarez added 14, including all four of his foul shots over the final minutes to prevent the completion of the comeback by Christian (6-9). Then 6-foot-5 freshman center Taylor Darby grabbed six of his nine boards down the stretch, while also scoring 10 total points for the Grizzlies (9-8).
 
Christian scoring: Wayne Richards 15, C.J. Schroeder 12, Blaine Fodor 8, Derek Larsen 7, Kellen Rossitto 2.
(01-08-05)

Helix senior Lance Hurdle (11) scored 30 points for the 6th time this season as Helix won its 5th straight game by defeating El Cajon Valley in Friday night's Grossmont Conference crossover game in La Mesa. (1-7-05/Photo by Miguel Johnson)

Norsemen pull off upset of Wolf Pack with advantage at stripe
EastCountySports.com
 
SANTEE - Things were a little too fouled up for West Hills veteran coach JEFF ARMSTRONG to believe in Friday's (Jan. 7) Grossmont Conference crossover game, but Valhalla skipper ERIC THOMAS wasn't complaining.
 
The visiting Norsemen knocked down 19 of 25 free throw attempts while West Hills was a meager 4-for-10 from the charity stripe as Valhalla pulled off a mild 64-61 upset of the defending Grossmont North League champions.
 
"We played our best basketball of the season in all but the final two minutes of the first half," Thomas said. "We had, I don't know, a 7 or 9-point lead when we were doing things right. Then, when we decided to forget about passing the ball, and started chucking the ball up as soon as we touched it, our lead shrank to one."
 
Thomas' math was on the mark as Valhalla led 34-33 at intermission.
 
"Give West Hills credit, they caused much of our problems," Thomas noted. "They changed to a full court press and then to a 1-2-2 half-court trap."
 
The Wolf Pack (7-8), playing without senior backcourt ace MATTHEW GILSON (hamstring), led 47-44 after three periods.
 
That's when things got a bit dicey.
 
CONNER RUYERAS sank three consecutive free throws to return the lead to Valhalla 53-52 with 5:29 remaining. Later a Ruyeras bucket allowed Valhalla to break a 58-58 tie with 1:15 left.
 
VINCE HOUSTON sank a pair of free throws to extend the Norsemen's advantage to 62-58 with 50 seconds unplayed.
 
"Then we tried to give it away," Thomas said. "We turned the ball over on four of our final possessions."
 
Once again, Ruyeras turned in a clutch play - this time on defense as he batted away a pass intended for West Hills' 6-foot-6, 285-pound pivot RYAN SHUMAKER with 20 seconds left and Valhalla clinging to a 62-61 edge.
 
Junior BRETT HANSEN eventually sealed the deal for Valhalla as he dropped in a pair of free throws with 8 seconds left.
 
West Hills missed a desperation 3-point shot to tie as time expired.
 
PAUL MARTINS scored a career-high 20 points to pace Valhalla. Ruyeras finished with 15 markers, while KYLE LUHNOW netted 10 points and cleared 10 rebounds.
 
"We are a small team without a post game," Thomas said. "We look to spread the floor and open up some space. But we still need to be more efficient."
 
Shumaker powered in 18 points to pace the Pack, while NATHAN MUZQUIZ  banged in 14 points (12 in the 1st half) and E.J. BROWN scored a career-best 13 (7 coming the 4th quarter).
 
"They outscored us by 15 points at the free throw line," Armstrong emphasized. "It was unbelievable. We had a hard time getting a foul called tonight."
 
Valhalla scoring:  Paul Martins 20, Conner Ruyeras 15, Kyle Luhnow 10, Vince Houston 9, Ronnie Schwandt 4, Brett Hansen 4, Chris Zukose 2.
 
West Hills scoring:  Ryan Schumaker 18, Nathan Muzquiz 14, E.J. Brown 13, Philip Staback 6, Peter Gilson 4, Bo Hart 2, Matt Sutton 2, Quentin London 2.
 
STEELE CANYON 73,  SANTANA 43 - Think Steele Canyon is finished after this season?
 
No way.
 
Coach BRAD LEAF's Cougars gave an unplanned peek at the future as they used a strong second half to slap down Santana in a Grossmont Conference crossover game Friday night (Jan. 7) in Santee.
 
"They did a great job against us," acknowledged Leaf of the Sultans, who trailed by two at the end of the 1st quarter and 33-24 at the break. "Of course, we were playing without RICHIE (WILLIAMS). But we did well with RAY (WILLIAMS) and WES (DAVIS) running the team."
 
The senior Williams missed the game for "family reasons." He is expected to be in the lineup on Saturday (Jan. 8) when the top-ranked Cougars (12-0) take on Pasadena Muir (8-4) in the Otay Ranch Shootout at 5:15 p.m.
 
However, junior Ray Williams and the 6-foot-2 Davis picked up the slack against Santana.
 
"Best junior backcourt in San Diego," Leaf bragged. "Especially in the 2nd half, Ray and Wes really started running the team."
 
Steele Canyon pounded out a 40-19 scoring advantage during the final two quarters.
 
"It was tough," Leaf said. "The guys are used to Richie running the team. We were sluggish in the 1st half; it was a whole different feel to the game. It took us awhile, but in the 4th quarter we were really flowing."

Steele Canyon claimed a 22-9 scoring edge during the final 8 minutes.
 
Ray Williams finished with 15 points, the majority coming from the free throw line where he made 9 of 10. He also had 4 steals and 3 assists. Davis chipped in with 11 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals.
 
Not to be overlooked were Steele Canyon seniors GEORGE CUNNINGHAM (19 points, 14 rebounds, 6 blocks and 5 steals), JASON BEAUCHAMP (14 points, 12 rebounds) and JACOB PRUITT, who came off the bench to drop in a trio of 3-pointers for the Cougars. Pruitt also gobbled up 6 rebounds.
 
Despite the lopsided loss, Santana coach TIM BARRY was pleased with his team's performance.
 
"We had them on the ropes for awhile then lost it in the 4th quarter," insisted Barry. "We played tremendous, we beat their pressure, but what hurt us was they are so big and athletic. We boxed out really well but they (officials) didn't call much in the way of over-the-back. It created a tremendous amount of opportunities for them."
 
Primarily from the foul throw line. The Cougars were collectively 26-for-44 shooting free throws compared to 5-for-11 for Santana (7-9).
 
With 5:45 left in the game, Santana scoring ace RICKY MICHELMORE got his fifth foul. Michelmore finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals.
 
"When he went out, we went dormant," sighed Barry. "But to play them that tough was amazing. We went right down the floor against their pressure. I'm ecstatic with the way we played. We pushed them the whole game.�
 
JON HERNANDEZ paced Santana's scoring ladder with 13 points
 
Steele Canyon scoring:  George Cunningham 19, Raymond Williams 15, Jason Beauchamp 14, Wes Davis 11, Jacob Pruitt 9, Jake Ransom 3, Emory Mitchell 2.
 
Santana scoring:  Jon Hernandez 13, Ricky Michelmore 9, Billy Wickens 7, Garrett Happ 4, Brooks Bass 4, Luke Eisele 4, Jon Corbisez 2.
 
GRANITE HILLS 50,  EL CAPITAN 48 - The two teams combined for 68 points in the first half of Friday's (Jan. 7) Grossmont Conference crossover contest. The final two quarters produced just 30 points between the two, with the visiting Eagles escaping Lakeside with the victory.
 
It was the third win by six points or less for Granite Hills (8-6).  El Capitan fell to 5-11.
 
El Capitan (5-11) narrowly missed stealing the victory from the visiting Eagles as DANIEL KRUEGER missed a 3-point try with 12 seconds left. The Vaqueros also had a pair of follow-up tips that would have tied the game. Neither of those found the cylinder, thus allowing the Eagles to claim the Grossmont Conference crossover win.
 
DAVID BAXTER produced a game-high 20 points, but only six in the second half for the Eagles. The senior's post-intermission buckets were both from 3-point range and played a key role in the Granite Hills victory.
 
Known more for their 3-point marksmanship and offensive prowess in general, the Eagles relied more on their defense to secure this win.
 
"(CLARK) GORDON did a real good job defensively on their big guy (CORY BROWN)," said Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON. "Held him to two points in the entire 2nd half.  Our guys really came through and played good defense."
 
Indeed. The 6-foot-9 Brown scored all but 2 of his 16 points in the opening two quarters. He also reeled in 12 rebounds and blocked 4 shots.
 
Gordon garnered 12 rebounds and recorded 3 steals, while teammate NICK TAYLOR tossed in 19 points -- 12 coming from above the 3-point circle.  RYAN SNYDER contributed 7 assists.
 
Krueger set the scoring pace for El Capitan with 17 points, while DAVID REEDER chipped in with 8 rebounds.
 
Granite Hills scoring:  David Baxter 20, Nick Taylor 19, Ricky Peitz 4, Clark Gordon 3, Justin Villanueva 2, Ryan Snyder 2.
 
El Capitan scoring:  Daniel Krueger 17, Cory Brown 16, Jason Ziegler 6, Tyler Hill 5, David Reeder 4.
 
HELIX 78,  EL CAJON VALLEY 46 - A leaky roof forced the El Cajon Valley Braves to take on No. 8-ranked Helix in La Mesa instead of on their home court as originally scheduled.
 
"I was looking forward to a home court advantage against them, but it didn't work out that way," said El Cajon Valley coach NATE REED.
 
Home or away, there was no way for the Braves to stop Helix's LANCE HURDLE on this rainy Friday night (Jan. 7). The 6-foot-2 senior guard scored 30 points -- his sixth 30-plus scoring effort of the season as the Highlanders (12-3) won their 5th straight and 8th in nine starts.
 
"We hung in there, but Lance was a monster in the 1st half, and a bigger monster in the 2nd half," said Reed.
 
Hurdle, in fact, netted 10 of 13 shots from the field. He was 3-for-3 above the arc and 7-for-7 from the free throw stripe.
 
"Lance played well, he responded," said Helix coach JOHN SINGER, who earlier this week challenged Hurdle to take the Highlanders' helm and provide leadership.
 
"Other people will tell him he's a good player, and he is. I need him to respond in other ways, to show team leadership and be more than a good physical leader. And tonight he did."
 
Hurdle also corralled 7 rebounds and passed out 4 assists.
 
Junior AARON TINSLEY, not known for his scoring prowess, rang up a career high 13 points to head Hurdle's supporting cast.
 
CLINTON SHELTON snared a game-best 13 rebounds for the Highlanders.
 
Helix improved its overall shooting dramatically, hitting 46 percent of 62 field goals and 68 percent of 25 free throws.
 
SHANE MYERS was not intimidated by Helix's physical inside presence. The 6-foot-4 senior muscled in 13 points, roped 9 rebounds and blocked 7 shots.
 
FRANK COLLINS settled for 10 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks, while ABRAHAM MUHEIZE rolled in 11 points for El Cajon Valley (5-10).
 
Helix scoring:  Lance Hurdle 30, Aaron Tinsley 13, Lawrence Hurdle 9, Clinton Shelton 8, Brandon Brown 4, David Jefferson 4, Matt Caldwell 4, Joel Aftreth 3, Brandon Fountain 2, Sean Scarber 2.
 
El Cajon Valley scoring:  Shane Myers 13, Abraham Muheize 11, Frank Collins 10, Chris Reynolds 5, Nate Schad 2, Cameron Santos 2, Tim Widjiji 2, Wisam Patros 1.
 
GROSSMONT 50,  MOUNT MIGUEL 34 - Grossmont High's ROBERT GANGE was a role player for the Foothillers a year ago.
 
Now, the 6-foot-4 senior center is one of Grossmont's key performers.
 
Albeit not flashy, the steady Gange scored a so-called "quiet" 13 points, while grabbing 9 rebounds, making 3 steals and dishing 2 assists in the Foothillers' Grossmont Conference crossover win over visiting Mount Miguel.
 
TYLER HAJOSY, Grossmont's Mr. Long Ball, drilled a pair of 3-pointers that -- coupled with a bank shot by Gange -- turned a 9-point Foothillers lead into a 43-27 cushion.
 
It all starts with senior point guard TYLER BARBOUR for the Foothillers (9-7), who have won four of their last five decisions. Just as he is on the football field,  Barbour is the Hillers' hardwood quarterback.
 
"Tyler Barbour penetrated when we needed him to penetrate and he controls the ball no matter what the other team tries to do," said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO.
 
Barbour totaled 9 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds and a pair of steals, while Hajosy finished with a game-high 14 points and 7 rebounds.
 
Mount Miguel (5-11), which suffered its fourth loss in the last six starts, sputtered pathetically on the offensive end. Outside of hard-nosed senior KENNY KEY, who clicked on 6 of 9 shots en route to a team-best 13 points while garnering a game-high 10 rebounds, the Matadors shot 29 percent from the field.
 
"You aren't going to win many games shooting like that," Mount Miguel coach MIKE GOLOVKO said.
 
Foggiano credited the Foothillers' defense for creating much of the Matadors scoring woes.
 
"I thought our half-court 'man' defense was very effective," Foggiano said. "Overall we played pretty solid. Nothing fancy, but pretty solid."
 
Should the Foothillers be labeled a contender for the Grossmont North League crown?
 
"I don't know," Foggiano said. "We are not the kind of team that can go into a game and say, 'We're going to win this game.' "
 
Mount Miguel, meanwhile, has bigger problems.
 
"Until we can find someone to make a bucket consistently to help Kenny Key, it's the same old story," Golovko said. "We're going to struggle."
 
Grossmont scoring:  Tyler Hajosy 14, Robert Gange 13, Tyler Barbour 9, Casey Rummel 6, Dominic Elder 6, Luis Gonzales 2.
 
Mount Miguel scoring:  Kenny Key 13, Deviyon Carter 6, Karlin Stewart 6, Eddie DeArcos 5, Greg Monroe 2, Michael Love 2.
 
CALVIN CHRISTIAN 64, CHRISTIAN 34 -- Utilizing a large line-up on the court, Christian High stayed in contact with host Calvin Christian in Friday's (Jan. 7) opener of a two-game, North County non-league road swing. But when foul trouble demanded a change to a smaller, speedier line-up, the size of the Crusaders proved too much to overcome in the 2nd half.

The Patriots (6-8), who have lost five of their last six, travel to San Marcos Saturday (Jan. 8) to meet Mission Hills, one of the newest schools in the CIF-San Diego Section. The game time has been moved up to 3 p.m. to avoid conflicting with the San Diego Chargers playoff game.

C.J. SCHROEDER nailed his first pair of long jumpers for 5 quick points, keeping Christian within 10-9 through the first six minutes. But when the forward got cold and no one else could find the net either, the Crusaders pulled away with a 17-4 run, capped by a 3-ball from guard Brandon Petty to open the second half.
Petty finished with 14 points, while center Kevin McGuire posted a game-high 15 to lead Calvin Christian.  Schroeder tallied 7 to top Christian -- KELLEN ROSSITTO, WAYNE RICHARDS and DEREK LARSEN finished with six points each.

Poor passing and the inability to consistently beat the Calvin Christian press eventually doomed the Pats, who were also out-rebounded, 41-23.

"All eight of our losses are due to turnovers," noted Christian coach KEN BAILEY. "We just have to get better passing the ball, but this is still a young team."
Christian scoring:  C.J. Schroeder 7, Kellen Rossitto 6, Wayne Richards 6, Derek Larsen 6, Blaine Fodor 5, Andrew Criswell 3, Justin Ballard 1.
(01-07-05)
 

Helix's Lance Hurdle (11) scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Highlanders past West Hills in Wednesday's Grossmont Conference crossover game in La Mesa. The Wolf Pack's Philip Staback (10) offers resistance. (1-5-05/Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)

Vaqueros connect in all phases to handle Monarchs
EastCountySports.com
 
LAKESIDE - For one of the few times this season, the El Capitan Vaqueros had all segments of their game in synch Wednesday (Jan. 5) as they mauled Monte Vista 83-64 in a Grossmont Conference crossover game.
 
"We've come close (to winning) so many times -- there are so many games this season that we could have won," El Capitan coach ROSS FURROW said. "But we are playing well at the right time of the year. The start of (league play) is right around the corner (Jan. 18)."
 
Senior DANIEL KRUEGER matched his season high of 26 points, hitting six 3-pointers in the process as the Vaqueros (5-10) proved that they will have something to say about who wins the Grossmont North League championship.
 
"When Daniel is on like he was yesterday, he's really uncanny," Furrow said of Krueger. "He's about 6-foot-4 and is able to shoot the ball above his head. It's not like Monte Vista was leaving him uncovered, he was just on."
 
Junior center CORY BROWN added 13 points, 14 rebounds and blocked 6 shots for El Capitan.
 
"I thought Cory played very well, especially having to go against (Monte Vista senior football standout CLINTON) SNYDER," Furrow said. "Snyder (6-4, 215) is a stud. And I think Cory held his own."
 
Furrow also praised DAVID REEDER, who rolled in 16 points, dealt 7 assists and pilfered 4 passes.
 
"Reeder's defense of late has been really exciting," Furrow said.
 
JASON ZIEGLER chipped in with a career high 12 points for El Capitan.
 
Snyder paced Monte Vista with 24 points and a dozen rebounds. BRANDYN HARVEY followed with 21 points.
 
The Monarchs were off-the-mark from the free throw line, missing 16 of their 35 chances.
 
"Sometimes it looks like our kids have never been coached," said Monte Vista coach ZACH PECK. "We play at such a chaotic tempo that we can't run even the simple plays."
 
El Capitan scoring:  Daniel Krueger 26, David Reeder 16, Cory Brown 13, Jason Ziegler 12, Ray Harris 7, Grant Hills 5, Josh Ziegler 4.
 
Monte Vista scoring:  Clinton Snyder 24, Brandyn Harvey 21, Chris Humphries 8, Ryan Slade 4, Allan Watson 3, Joey Belanger 3, Sean Joyce 1.
 
EL CAJON VALLEY 39,  MOUNT MIGUEL 36 - In a rare low-scoring contest between two traditionally fast-breaking, high-scoring teams, host El Cajon Valley proved Wednesday (Jan. 5) that it can play at a slower pace and still finish in the winner's circle.
 
ABRAHAM MUHEIZE scored 10 of his team-high 13 points in the 2nd quarter helping stake El Cajon Valley to a 20-15 halftime lead.
 
"They would not run, didn't look like the Mount Miguel teams I've seen in the past," El Cajon Valley coach NATE REED said. "But we finally got the tempo up a couple of notches when we put Muheize and DAVID KACHI together in our backcourt."
 
FRANK COLLINS fought off early foul trouble to generate a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Braves (5-9). Muheize added 8 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 assists to his totals, while SHANE MYERS collected 10 rebounds.
 
"We came out flat," Reed said. "Just couldn't put the ball in the cylinder. Seemed like the goal had a lid on it."
 
Neither team produced any shooting numbers worth framing, although Muheize  did nail a trio of 3-pointers for El Cajon Valley.
 
KENNY KEY was the hub of the Mount Miguel offense, drilling in a game high 21 points and grabbing 19 rebounds.
 
"It's been the same thing all year - other than Kenny Key we just couldn't make any baskets," said Mount Miguel coach MIKE GOLOVKO. "Defensively, we played as good as usual. We got enough shots but just couldn't put them in."
 
DEVIYON CARTER sprained his knee in the 1st quarter, and was out of action until the 4th quarter, "but wasn't the same player when he went back in," Golovko said.
 
Carter finished with but 1 point. Other than Key, only DONNIE HIEBING (6 points) scored more than 2 points for Mount Miguel.
 
"It's halfway through the season and it's time for someone else besides Kenny to step up and take charge out there," Golovko said.
 
On a brighter note, GREG MONROE returned to active duty for Mount Miguel, scoring just 2 points after missing all of last year with a knee injury.
 
The victory was El Cajon Valley's first win over the Matadors in four years. Ironically, the last time the Braves beat the Matadors, NATE REED, JR., then a sophomore scored 22 points to produce the 64-60 win.
 
Reed was proud of the balanced effort of his Braves.
 
"The guys came off the bench and everybody contributed in some way, whether points or defensively," said Reed. "There were a lot of missed shots tonight. Not that many turnovers though, and the officiating was good, fair on both sides."
 
El Cajon Valley scoring:  Abraham Muheize 13, Frank Collins 11, David Kachi 5, Shane Myers 4, Nate Schad 4, Stephon Stafford 2.
 
Mount Miguel scoring:  Kenny Key 21, Donnie Hiebing 6, Greg Monroe 2, Eddie DeArcos 2, Jonathan Holmes 2, Bud Newborn 2, Deviyon Carter 1.

West Hills junior E.J. Brown (11), arguably the fastest player in the league, dribbles past Helix defender Aaron Tinsley (25) during the Highlanders' 63-49 Grossmont Conference crossover victory Wednesday. (1-5-05/Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)

 
HELIX 63,  WEST HILLS 49 - The No. 8-ranked Helix Highlanders received the usual 27 points,10 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals from senior guard LANCE HURDLE and benefited from the ever improving play inside from sophomore DAVID JEFFERSON Wednesday (Jan. 5) as they dunked visiting West Hills in a Grossmont Conference crossover game.
 
"Give West Hills credit," Helix coach JOHN SINGER said. "They really jammed the boards and played a physical game."
 
True. The Wolf Pack (7-7) did dominate on the glass, gaining a sizable 51-35 rebounding advantage over the Highlanders (11-3).
 
Senior RYAN SHUMAKER was bullish on the boards, using his 6-foot-6, 285-pound body to garner a game-high 14 caroms while blocking 3 shots and scoring 12 points.
 
"We opened up strong, just couldn't close it out," Shumaker said. "Too many turnovers (27) and missed free throws (10) killed us.
 
"(Helix) is Top 10 and I felt we were right there playing with them. If we would have dropped our free throws and got the ball down the floor a little bit faster who knows what would have happened."
 
It was a matter of consistency for both teams last night. Helix put together one major scoring spurt in the first half that made the difference. Clinging to a 14-13 edge, the Highlanders embarked on a 15-2 scoring run. They were never headed thereafter, leading by as much as 54-33 with 1:01 left in the third period.
 
"They surprised us at the start because they came out and played us 'man,' " Hurdle said. "That created an upbeat tempo."
 
Seventeen turnovers kept the Wolf Pack from maintaining that pace, however, as the Highlanders led 35-25 at intermission.
 
Although Helix forced 27 turnovers overall, the Highlanders generated just 12 transition points.
 
"I was trying to distribute the ball too much, trying to get everybody involved," Hurdle admitted. "I was forcing a lot of stuff and that resulted in turnovers." The Highlanders were tagged with just 13 "throw-aways."
 
From the field, the Highlanders connected on just 23-of-67 chances (35 percent). They shot 60 percent (15-of-25) from the free-throw line.
 
"It's tough to win when you shoot like that," Singer said.
 
Not that West Hills was burning the chords. The Pack sacked 22 of 55 shots from the field (40 percent) and shot a paltry 4-for-14 from the free throw line.
 
"No question we had a problem taking care of the ball," West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG said. "But we did do a decent job on defense. We held Helix to two field goals in the last quarter."
 
Armstrong also heaped accolades upon NATHAN MUZQUIZ, who muscled in 7 points while collecting 9 rebounds.
 
E.J. BROWN chipped in 9 points, 6 rebounds and a pair of steals for West Hills, while BO HART - who was scheduled for hernia surgery a day earlier, contributed 7 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists.
 
"Bo was diagnosed with a hernia, then at the last minute it was determined that he had a strained groin," Armstrong said. "That's a break for Bo and one we definitely needed."
 
Helix senior center GREG HARVEY twisted an ankle two minutes into the game.
 
"It swelled up the size of a grapefruit," Highlanders assistant coach ANDY MERIDETH said. "Before we knew how bad he hurt it, he went back into the game. But it was evident that he couldn't jump up and down."
 
The Helix staff doesn't expect Harvey to play in Friday's (Jan. 7) game against El Cajon Valley.
 
Helix scoring:  Lance Hurdle 27, Brandon Brown 8, Lawrence Hurdle 7,  David Jefferson 7, Aaron Tinsley 6, Clinton Shelton 4, Matt Caldwell 3, Greg Harvey 1.
 
West Hills scoring:  Ryan Shumaker 12, E.J. Brown 9, Nathan Muzquiz 7, Bo Hart 7, Matt Sutton 4, Matthew Gilson 4, Philip Staback 2, Peter Gilson 2, Quentin London 2.
 
GROSSMONT 51,  GRANITE HILLS 48 - Grossmont's most experienced trio --TYLER HAJOSY, TYLER BARBOUR and ROBERT GANGE - guided the Foothillers to a Grossmont Conference crossover victory over Granite Hills Wednesday (Jan. 5) in El Cajon.
 
"Hajosy held us together offensively," said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO. "And Gange did a good job rebounding."
 
The numbers back that up, as Hajosy hammered down 26 points and hauled in 5 rebounds. Gange turned in a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.
 
In the 4th quarter, Grossmont was up by one point. TYLER BARBOUR (8 assists) missed a free throw and Gange got the offensive rebound and was fouled. Gange made 1 of 2 shots, leaving the Hillers on top 50-48.
 
With 9 seconds remaining, Granite Hills' NICK TAYLOR dribbled off his leg, sending the ball out of bounds. Hajosy was fouled on the inbound pass and made 1 of 2 free throws.
 
Granite Hills (7-6) still had a chance with 0:03 left, but Taylor missed a half-court desperation shot.
 
Although it may sound to the contrary, Taylor had a solid game for the Eagles. The 6-foot-2 junior scored a team-high 22 points, more than half coming on 4 three-pointers. Taylor leads East County's long-rangers with 38 treys.
 
Granite Hills had a 7-point lead in the 3rd quarter, but could not hold it.
 
"We weren't patient enough," said Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON. "We're shooting too quickly. We only had 10 turnovers, but shot only 26 percent from the field."
 
Grossmont scoring:  Tyler Hajosy 26, Robert Gange 14, Luis Gonzales 5, Tyler Barbour 3, Dominic Elder 2, Casey Rummel 1.
 
Granite Hills scoring:  Nick Taylor 22, David Baxter 10, Ryan Snyder 7, Justin Villanueva 3, Branden Pride 2, Kurtis Smith 2, Clark Gordon 2.
 
VALHALLA 63,  SANTANA 52 -- The difference between winning and losing was glaring in this one. Host Valhalla canned 22 of 26 free throws compared to the 8-for-15 shooting of Santana as the Norsemen gained the nod in Wednesday's (Jan. 5) Grossmont Conference crossover contest.
 
"We made a mind-boggling 22 of 26 free throws," said Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS. "We were only 2 of 12 in our first game against Santana (resulting in a 63-45 loss on Dec. 18). (Tonight) they got in foul trouble and we made our foul shots."
 
The Norsemen (7-8) came in clicking at 63 percent from the free throw line (176 of 280).
 
Valhalla made 12 of 14 free throws in the 4th quarter to protect the 43-37 advantage carried into the final period.
 
"Once they got into foul trouble, they couldn't be as aggressive," Thomas said. "We held a 7-point lead through the 4th quarter."
 
With 2 minutes left it was a 5-point Valhalla lead. Then, in 30 seconds Valhalla scored 6 straight. VINCE HOUSTON led the charge, scoring on a drive and again off a steal.
 
Valhalla's PAUL MARTINS was 5-for-5 on two-point shots and added one 3-pointer on his way to a career high 20-point night. He also converted 7 of 8 free throws - including 4 of 5 in the final quarter.
 
KYLE LUHNOW added 11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks for Valhalla, which also received 11 points, 3 assists and 4 steals from Houston.  Luhnow was also 7-for-8 from the foul line.
 
GARRETT HAPP, JON CORBISEZ and RICKY MICHELMORE shared high point honors for the Sultans with 10 apiece. Michelmore led the Sultans with 7 rebounds, one more than JON HERNANDEZ.
 
Valhalla scoring:  Paul Martins 20, Vince Houston 11, Kyle Luhnow 11, Conner Ruyeras 9, Brett Hansen 9, Ronnie Schwandt 3.
 
Santana scoring:  Garrett Happ 10, Jon Corbisez 10, Ricky Michelmore 10, Jon Hernandez 9, Billy Wickens 4, Brooks Bass 4, Tai Purpero 3, Clint Harper 2.
(01-05-05)

Cougars slighted in national ranking despite upset of nation's top team
EastCountySports.com
 
RANCHO SAN DIEGO - Granted, polls and rankings are compiled for the sake of argument as much as they are for delivering prestige to deserving teams. They are also somewhat quirky in terms of logical thinking. Are they biased? You bet. Case in point are the latest USA Today ratings, which do not include undefeated Steele Canyon among the nation's Super 25.
 
Coach BRAD LEAF's Cougars are standing tall at 11-0 after sweeping to the Torrey Pines Holiday Prep Classic National Division championship last week. Included in that domination was a 67-65 overtime victory over USA Today's top-ranked Friars of St. Anthony's (N.J.) in the semifinals. Remember now, the Friars had won their division of this prestigious event the previous two years. They could not, however, counter the speed thrown in their face by Steele Canyon.
 
For good measure, Steele Canyon went on to topple El Toro in the National Division finale 74-64. So it should appear obvious that Steele Canyon is no fluke.
 
The USA Today pollsters must not regard the Cougars as viable contenders for the mythical national championship.
 
The latest USA Today  rankings offer Steele Canyon the No. 5 spot in the Western Regional Poll behind Etiwanda (13-0), Westchester (5-2), Mater Dei (12-2) and Los Angeles Fairfax (10-2). So much for going undefeated,  a mark that only No. 1 Etiwanda and Steele Canyon can claim among the West's 10 best.
 
Knocking off St. Anthony's did carry some weight among the USA Today pollsters. But it's obvious that those who compile this poll consider the Cougars conquest of the Friars as some sort of fluke.
 
St. Anthony's (5-1) is No. 7 in this week's USA Today Super 25 and No. 2 in the Eastern Region.
 
It would appear that this is sort of "good-ol'-boys club" where being a perennial power carries more weight than a strong showing by an unknown upstart.
 
About the rankings: USA TODAY's Super 25 high school boys and girls basketball rankings are compiled by Christopher Lawlor, who consults with a national network of prep sports writers, analysts and coaches. Among the criteria considered are a school's strength of schedule, the quality of competition in its state or league and quality of its players.
(01-05-05)

Wolf Pack gets back on track with return of Gilson, win over Monarchs
EastCountySports.com
 
SPRING VALLEY - Please excuse the West Hills Wolf Pack for sounding a victory charge for a regal return of the Grossmont North League's top player to its starting lineup in Monday's (Jan. 3) Grossmont Conference crossover contest at Monte Vista.
 
Senior guard MATTHEW GILSON, missing in action since the third game of the season due to a hamstring pull, delivered 15 points and 8 assists as the Wolf Pack won a hard-fought battle from the Monarchs, 65-60.
 
Gilson turned in a solid game, connecting on 6 of 8 field goal shots overall and then netting 3 of 4 free throws in the final 11 seconds to seal the victory.
 
"It's nice to have #22 (MATTHEW GILSON) back on the floor, while playing limited minutes," said West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG. "QUENTIN LONDON moved into the starting lineup with 6 points and 7 assists - and gave us some great minutes."
 
The win was the 5th in six starts for the 7-6 Wolf Pack, while Monte Vista fell to its 9th loss against five wins.
 
Clinging to a 59-57 lead with 37 seconds to play, West Hills received a major boost when NATHAN MUZQUIZ buried a pair of free throws. Monte Vista counterpunched when a putback by CLINTON SNYDER brought the deficit back to two.
 
RYAN SHUMAKER hit one free throw and Matthew Gilson hit three down the stretch to secure the West Hills victory.
 
Shumaker was certainly happy to have the 6-foot-2, four-year starter at the helm of the West Hills offense. Due much to some nifty feeds, the 6-foot-6, 285-pound Shumaker tossed in 22 points while hauling down 10 rebounds and logging 4 blocks for the Pack.
 
"I'm sure the 'Big Shu' is happy to have Matthew back on the floor," Armstrong said.
 
All is not well for West Hills, however, which has been ravaged by injuries after a 2-0 start. The latest casualty is sophomore BO HART, who is to undergo hernia surgery on Tuesday (Jan. 4).
 
The loss of Hart is certain to shorten West Hills' long-ball shooting.
 
"It's been that kind of year for us," Armstrong said.
 
Monte Vista received 22 points and 10 rebounds from CLINTON SNYDER, 14 points by senior guard TREVOR PECK and 10 more from ALLAN WATSON.
 
"Trevor (Peck) really hurt us," Armstrong said. "He hit so many clutch shots from the perimeter."
 
The Monarchs, however, were handcuffed when Snyder was dogged by early foul troubles. He sat out most of the 2nd quarter and six minutes of the 3rd quarter.

Armstrong was quick to praise the work of senior MATT SUTTON (5 points).
 
"When 'Shu' got into early foul trouble, Matt came in and gave us some valuable minutes," Armstrong said. "He played as well as he has in any game all year."
 
Other West Hills scoring:  Muzquiz 8, E.J. Brown 4, Philip Staback 3, Peter Gilson 2.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Brandyn Harvey 9, Ian Croft 3, Ryan Slade 2.
 
VALHALLA 70,  EL CAPITAN 67 - Senior point guard VINCE HOUSTON sank 4 free throws in the final 11 seconds of Monday's (Jan. 3) Grossmont Conference Crossover game as host Valhalla hung on to edge the visiting Vaqueros.
 
Those clutch charity tosses helped Houston finish with a career-high 24 points as Valhalla (6-8) won for the 5th time in 8 starts.
 
As explosive as both teams were offensively, it was a change in defensive tactics by Valhalla coach ERIC THOMAS that changed the game.
 
CORY BROWN drilled in 21 points for El Capitan -- 9 in the 1st quarter, 8 in the 2nd quarter -- but only 4 in the second half, with those coming in the 4th quarter.
 
"Brown stayed inside and scored 17 points in the 1st half," said Thomas. "We just could not stop him inside. At halftime we made some adjustments, put KYLE LUHNOW on Brown. So Brown went outside and shot three shots and missed them all."
 
That forced El Capitan to change its offensive mode. Turns out it was for the worse rather than the better.
 
"El Cap got away from what worked for them in the 1st half," Thomas agreed. "In the 2nd half the whole complexion of the game changed."
 
In addition to his sterling defensive job on Brown, Luhnow knocked down 19 points and retrieved 8 rebounds.
 
CONNER RUYERAS garnered 10 rebounds and chipped in 9 points for Valhalla, which also welcomed 8 points and 5 boards from PAUL MARTINS.
 
DANIEL KRUEGER landed 4 three-pointers as he finished with 20 points for El Capitan (4-10). DAVID REEDER pitched in 17 points for the hard-luck Vaqueros, who failed to hold a 35-24 halftime lead.
 
Other Valhalla scoring: Ronnie Schwandt 6, Brett Hansen 4.
 
Other El Capitan scoring:  Jason Ziegler 3, Josh Ziegler 2, Nick Murico 2, Grant Hill 2.
 
HELIX 48,  SANTANA 32 - The visiting Highlanders tested a new ingredient to their success formula in Monday's (Jan. 3) Grossmont Conference crossover game as 6-foot-3 sophomore DAVID JEFFERSON made his season debut at Santana.
 
"When he's healthy and in shape David has such a great grasp on the floor of what we are trying to do," Helix coach JOHN SINGER said. "The kid really wants to play more and I want to let him. But we have to be careful.�
 
Although Jefferson's activity was limited to approximately 8 minutes, he did produce 4 points (2-for-2 shooting) and 3 rebounds.
 
"He's not in shape, so, we have to bring him along gradually," Singer said. "He's only about 70-75 percent now."
 
Steady senior guard LANCE HURDLE (14 points, 5 assists, 2 steals) and CLINTON SHELTON (10 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals, 2 blocks) carried the torch for the Highlanders (10-3).
 
Santana (7-7) forced 26 Helix turnovers, which is a shockingly high numbers for the usually conservative Highlanders.
 
"We had 22 steals and just played our zone and a little bit of man at the end," Santana coach TIM BARRY said.
 
In the 3rd quarter Santana only hit two field goals as Helix claimed a 15-6 scoring advantage to extend its lead to 38-23.
 
"Santana isn't a bad team, but I felt that they were playing not to lose," Singer said.
 
Helix's AARON TINSLEY hit a pair of clutch 3-pointers in the 3rd quarter to stretch an 8-point Helix lead into a 14-point advantage.
 
Once again, inconsistent shooting hindered the Sultans, who netted just 11 of 43 shots from the floor.
 
"We were just terrible at running our offense tonight. You can't win games if you can't make baskets," said Barry.
 
JON HERNANDEZ paced Santana with 8 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals. RICKY MICHELMORE added 7 points, 9 rebounds and 7 steals.
 
Other Helix scoring: Tinsley 6, Brandon Brown 4, Jefferson 4, Matt Caldwell 3, Jericho Toilolo 3, Greg Harvey 2, Lawrence Hurdle 2.
 
Other Santana scoring: Garrett Happ 4, Brian Bailey 4, Brooks Bass 4, Billy Wickens 3, Jon Corbisez 2.
 
MOUNT MIGUEL 47,  BONITA VISTA 41 -- Demonstrating greater attention to detail, Mount Miguel exhibited some court smarts after allowing an 11-point lead to slip away, sticking to its game plan as the Matadors refused to fold against a reputable opponent Monday (Jan. 3), coming away with an important road victory against Bonita Vista at Southwestern College.

DEVIYON CARTER scored a season-high 22 points, then four different players were able to beat a press applied late by Bonita Vista.

"That was a Top Ten, quality opponent we beat," said Mount Miguel coach MIKE GOLOVKO. "We kept our poise and forced Bonita's defense to move from side-to-side -- I think they got tired at the end."

The taller Barons crashed the boards in the second half, finally erasing a 17-6 deficit when a putback by forward Jared Jackson put the hosts in front for the first time at 37-35. But the lead was short-lived.

On the very next possession, Carter nailed a 3-ball, which was reversed to a 2-pointer, then again ruled good for three points during a confusing timeout. So the tiring Barons, seemingly getting desperate after using man defense all contest, tried picking-up full court for the first time, but to disastrous results.
"We did a lot of little things that we haven't done in the past," noted guard BUD NEWBORN, who registered five rebounds, including four offensive boards, and four assists. "And we made some good reads, like when Bonita changed defenses."

Early on, the Matadors utilized speed to offset Bonita Vista's height advantage by spreading its offense and running down the shot clock, rotating players in a star-like formation to produce an endless stream of drives to the basket with Barons defenders extended too far to assist underneath.

But with the press now in effect, Mount Miguel easily beat the tiring Barons down the court. Carter started the streak with a putback bucket, then took a KENNY KEY pass for a layin while being fouled.

EDDIE DeARCOS followed by driving the lane for a basket and a 44-37 lead, JONATHAN HOLMES got behind the press for a breakaway hoop, then it was Newborn's turn, getting fouled on his shot. Holmes also grabbed three of his five rebounds over the final four minutes, preventing second-chance opportunities for Bonita Vista (9-4), then DeArcos recorded his third steal to seal the triumph.

"Our defense played hard, which is what we have to do all the time to win," added Carter. "We played the type of defense we'll need if we want to stop RICHIE WILLIAMS when we play Steele Canyon."

Barons center Pierce Hunter produced back-to-back 3-point plays early in the fourth quarter as part of his team-high 21 points, temporarily placing Bonita Vista on track to roar back and secure a berth in the first official county rankings, which are due to be released next Monday night.

Instead, the recent success of Mount Miguel (5-9) now includes victories in three of its last four ballgames and has the team optimistic about the Grossmont South League schedule, which kicks-off later in the month.

Other Mount Miguel scoring:  Kenny Key 9, Jonathan Holmes 5, Eddie DeArcos 4, Newborn 4, Karlin Stewart 2, Michael Love 1.
 
STEELE CANYON 65,  GROSSMONT 21 - This was one of those games that is tough to watch, tough to coach and even challenging to play. Host Steele Canyon, unquestionably the best team in San Diego County and arguably the top ticket in Southern California, used a 24-0 scoring run in the first 10 minutes of Monday's (Jan. 3) Grossmont Conference crossover game to take a 33-6 advantage.
 
It only got worse for the visiting Foothillers (7-7), who were facing the vaunted Steele Canyon backcourt of the WILLIAMS brothers - RICHIE and RAYMOND -" without four-year starting point guard TYLER BARBOUR.
 
Junior Raymond Williams, perhaps the quickest guard in town, was the ringleader in the Cougars (11-0) latest onslaught.  The 5-foot-6 whirlwind hustled up 6 steals, 6 assists and a game-high 22 points, hitting 4 of 8 shots from beyond the arc. Overall, the younger Williams netted 9 for 17 launches from the floor.
 
Senior pivot GEORGE CUNNINGHAM canned 14 points, controlled a game-high 11 rebounds and made 6 steals for Steele Canyon.
 
SDSU-bound guard Richie Williams scored 14 points and nabbed 4 steals, while JASON BEAUCHAMP chipped in 8 points and 9 rebounds for the Cougars.
 
ROBERT GANGE led Grossmont with 7 points and 6 rebounds.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Tyler Hajosy 5, Derrick Davenport 3, Casey Rummel 2, Luis Gonzales 2, Dominic Elder 2,
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring:  Wes Davis 5, Emory Mitchell 2.
(01-03-05)

Steele Canyon's Richie Williams (3) was named MVP of the Holiday Prep Classic (National Division) championship won by the Cougars Thursday over nationally ranked El Toro. (12-30-04/Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)

Cougars' Williams gets wish, will don Aztecs' scarlet
East County Sports.com
 
RANCHO SAN DIEGO - Not all of us get to realize a childhood dream. Steele Canyon High senior point guard RICHIE WILLIAMS has had a longing to wear the red and black of San Diego State's Aztecs since SDSU participated in the 2001-2002 NCAA playoffs. When the Aztecs offered Williams a shot at playing for SDSU on Saturday (Jan. 1), he accepted.
 
He is only the second East County male basketball player to receive a Division I scholarship. LANCE HURDLE of Helix earlier accepted a full ride to UC Santa Barbara.
 
A four-year starter for the San Diego CIF's best team, the 5-foot-9 point guard guided the Cougars (10-0) to a stunning four-sweep of the Holiday Prep Classic (National Division) at Torrey Pines. Since that headline-grabbing stunt, Williams had the four-year college recruiters drooling.
 
Williams, who averages 22.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 4.7 steals and is a 58 percent shooter from the field, turned down offers from Washington State, Oklahoma State, Idaho State and at least a dozen more.
 
Playing at a Division I school close to home was the ticket sought by the older of the two Steele Canyon brothers. The soft-spoken, hard-nosed senior guard was pleased when the Aztecs granted his wish.
(01-03-05)

George Cunningham (1) crashes the boards for Steele Canyon during Thursday's National Division championship against the Chargers of El Toro. Also bidding for the rebound is sophomore Andrew Timm (31). (12-30-04/Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)  

Cougars claim elite national division championship at Holiday Prep Classic
EastCountySports.com
 
CARMEL VALLEY -- Defense proved to be the elixir for a first-half hangover, powering Steele Canyon to an implausible championship of the 15th annual Holiday Prep Classic at Torrey Pines High.    
   
One night after defeating the nation's top-ranked program in St. Anthony's (N.J.) in the semifinals of the prestigious event, the Cougars shook off the effects of the post-game jubilation to rally past El Toro, 74-64, to claim the tournament's elite National Division crown.

"We're used to being down in the first half, especially tonight after we beat St. Anthony's," said Cougars guard RICHIE WILLIAMS, named the tournament's most valuable player after scoring a game-high 25 points. "We were still a bit hung over after beating the No. 1 team, but we showed everyone that we can step up and beat anyone."

Steele Canyon (10-0), which will jump from its present ranking of 18th in California, forced 33 turnovers to beat the nation's best. On Thursday (Dec. 30), the Cougars forced another 17 miscues, including a half-dozen during a 4-minute run of the 3rd period, when Steele Canyon ran off 11 straight points to claim a 46-44 lead.

Included was a Williams steal for a breakaway layin to tie the contest, then JASON BEAUCHAMP's second putback in traffic finally went in, as the Cougars were never intimidated by El Toro's 7-foot-1 center David Foster.

"He's a big kid," noted Steele Canyon center GEORGE CUNNINGHAM, who collected 20 points, 10 boards and twice took the charge to force turnovers. "And we may have been intimidated by some of these big players coming into the tournament. But after playing against St. Anthony's and their big man, and other teams with their big players, there is no way we can ever be intimidated again."
 
The Cougars proved their point in the opening minutes when Foster grabbed an offensive rebound and attempted a throw back. Steele Canyon's 6-foot-2 forward WES DAVIS skied above everyone on the court to block Foster's shot, getting a rise out of the near sellout crowd of more than 2,000 spectators. Foster finished with just six points, six boards and blocked three shots.

"We came in on an emotional letdown from last game, so that play helped keep us in the game for a while," noted Davis. "But in the third quarter, we came out and played our game."

A mild scoring drought saw Steele Canyon down by eight points late in the half before pulling within 37-33 at the intermission. Most of the damage came courtesy of guard Darryl Best, who scored 15 pf his 21 points in the first half, while backcourt mate Kelvin Kim hit a pair of 3-balls as part of his 19 points.

The Cougars' formidable defense allowed El Toro to release just eight shots in the 3rd period, outscoring the Chargers, 19-9, to slip ahead, 52-46. Steele Canyon then kept expanding the lead throughout the 4th period, including 9-for-10 shooting from the foul line, including four straight free throws by RAYMOND WILLIAMS, who was also named to the all-tournament team after finishing with 10 points, eight assists and five second-half steals.

The only remaining question: After so many key victories against national-caliber opposition, where will the Cougars rank when the new state and national rankings are released early in the New Year? And how many scholarship offers will Richie Williams finally receive?

"That's not something I'm really worried about right now," said the senior Williams, who has drawn keen interest from such schools as Washington State. "I can still wait, then sit down and see what would be best for me and my family."

Other Steele Canyon scoring: Beauchamp 12 (10 boards), Ray Williams 10, Davis 5, Lionel Ball 2.
 
HILLTOP 71, WEST HILLS 53 -- The injury-riddled Wolf Pack (6-6) finally ran out of gas in Thursday's (Dec. 30) championship game of the Aztec Holiday Invitational at Montgomery.
 
"We had a meltdown defensively," West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG said. "But I guess that can be expected given the number of lineup changes we've had to make the past couple of weeks."
 
Hilltop (11-1) buried West Hills in the first half, 43-22. Tournament MVP Luke Kelly (20 points) and all-tourney pick Gabe Wessel (17 points) set a rapid-fire scoring pace for the Lancers.
 
Senior RYAN SHUMAKER led West Hills with 19 points, including 5-for-5 accuracy from the charity stripe. Shumaker, who along with sophomore PETER GILSON was named to the all-tournament team, has made 28 of his last 29 free throws.
 
"I was proud that we were able to make it to the championship game," Armstrong said. "We're getting our players healthy now, and I'm happy about that. Hopefully, we can make a run for the (Grossmont North) League title."
 
Other West Hills scoring:  Bo Hart 8, Nathan Muzquiz 8, Philip Staback 4, Quentin London 4, Gilson 4, E.J. Brown 2, Matt Sutton 2, Miles Pivonka 2.
 
HELIX 74,  CRAWFORD 57 - Talk about stunned . . . Coach JOHN SINGER and his Highlanders found themselves staring at a 20-10 deficit after the opening quarter of Thursday's (Dec. 30) third place game in the Chula Vista Spartan Classic. Worse than that, the Highlanders actually trailed by 14 during the early going.
 
"Crawford came out on fire and we weren't ready to play," Singer said. "We had to make some adjustments in the 2nd quarter."
 
And so they did, riding a 26-15 run to shave Crawfordâ's edge to 35-32 by intermission.  That Helix momentum continued into the 3rd quarter as the Highlanders claimed a 22-8 scoring advantage.
 
Five Highlanders reached double scoring figures for the first time all season. Not surprisingly, senior LANCE HURDLE led way with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists.
 
"In our last three games, only one guy has scored in double figures besides Lance," Singer pointed out. â"Tonight we had five guys in double figures. We were very unselfish, did what we told them to do and found the open man."
 
CLINTON SHELTON shoveled in 17 points to go along with 17 rebounds and 5 assists in what has to be his most complete game to date.
 
"We've told Clinton to stay inside where he can use his height (6-foot-4) and long arms to be effective," Singer said. "Tonight he stayed inside and had an outstanding game in the low post. I thought he played his best game all year."
 
LAWRENCE HURDLE added 11 for the Highlanders (9-3) who are off to their best start in eight seasons. BRANDON FOUNTAIN chipped in a career-high 10 points, while MATT CALDWELL netted 10 and roped in 9 rebounds.
 
Other Helix scoring: Brandon Brown 4.
 
GRANITE HILLS 71,  EL CAJON VALLEY 49 - The first battle of Madison Avenue rivals Thursday night (Dec. 30) was a heated affair won by the host Eagles in the 3rd place game of the Granite Hills Holiday Classic. There was plenty of chipping among the players and loads of referees in the stands.
 
Four minutes into the game El Cajon Valley (4-9) had 14 points. After that quick start, the Braves' well went dry as the Eagles (7-5) held them to 2 points over the ensuing 12 minutes.
 
"I was happy with the intensity of our defense," said Granite Hills coach RANDY ANDERSON.
 
By the 3rd quarter, Granite Hills was sitting on a 17-point cushion.
 
"El Cajon battled hard in the 3rd quarter, but we did a good job of responding," noted Anderson. "We played really well as a team, moved the ball around nicely."
 
NICK TAYLOR tossed in a game-high 25 points and cleared 8 rebounds to pace the Eagles. The junior guard also sank 8 of his 10 free throws.
 
DAVID BAXTER led the Granite Hills supporting cast with 16 points, while teammate KURTIS SMITH added 10 points and 8 rebounds. JUSTIN VILLANUEVA pitched in a season-high 7 assists and CLARK GORDON snagged 10 rebounds.
 
El Cajon Valley scoring ace FRANK COLLINS played with a badly bruised thigh from an injury suffered in the Eastlake game on Wednesday (Dec. 29). The senior sharpshooter only played a quarter and a half, during which time he score 3 points, pulled down 2 rebounds and handed out 3 assists before leaving the game.
 
Unhappy with the officiating of the game, Braves coach NATE REED said "It was one of those things, you know, when things just don't go your way, no reprieve from beginning to end. It really took the kids out of their game."
 
"But I'd rather lose now than lose next week," he said looking ahead to Grossmont Conference action. "We have got the mindset to do better in January. Hopefully, we can come out of this on an upbeat tempo and be ready for our games next week."
 
CHRIS REYNOLDS led the Braves with 14 points, while SHANE MYERS pushed in 10 markers and claimed 7 rebounds.
 
Other Granite Hills scoring: Wayne Martin 5, Nick Polovitz 4, Ryan Snyder 4, Ricky Peitz 2, Gordon 2, Branden Pride 2, Villanueva 1.
 
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Abraham Muheize 6, Nate Schad 5, Stafford 5, Frank Collins 3, Dori Laramore 2, Kevin Bridge 2, Mark Afoa 2.

GROSSMONT 49,  MONTGOMERY 33 - The physical Foothillers knocked out the host Montgomery Aztecs in Thursday's (Dec. 30) third place game of the Aztec Holiday Invitational.
 
"We played exceptionally well tonight," said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO. "I was pleased with our defense, especially in the 1st quarter."
 
And why shouldn't he be. Montgomery was limited to one free throw (out of two chances) in that opening period.
 
Grossmont led 39-19 after three quarters.
 
All-tournament pick TYLER HAJOSY paced the Foothillers with 23 points and 6 rebounds. The senior guard was 6-for-7 from the free throw line.
 
ROBERT GANGE pulled off a nifty double-double for Grossmont (7-6), scoring 14 points and reeling in a dozen rebounds. TYLER BARBOUR mixed in 8 assists.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Barbour 4, Dominic Elder 4, Casey Rummel 2, Luis Gonzales 2.
 
MOUNT MIGUEL 44,  MORSE 39 - KENNY KEY turned in his third straight double-double in Thursday's (Dec. 30) final round of the Spartan Classic, as the Matadors whipped Morse for the second time this season.
 
Key, a 6-foot-4 senior, rang up a season-high 27 points, bagged 12 rebounds and blocked 3 shots against the Tigers. In the four-game tournament, Key totaled 71 points and 47 rebounds.
 
Mount Miguel played sterling defense to take a 22-10 halftime lead over Morse.
 
"The 1st half was important. We defended halfcourt well and took them out of their game," Mount Miguel coach MIKE GOLOVKO said. "We overcame their runs and made some key baskets when we had to. This game might have come at a good time for us; we defended well and were very vocal."
 
DEVIYON CARTER, who totaled 46 points and had a game-winning shot in the tournament opener, was Mount Miguelâ's representative on the All-Tournament team.
 
"It's nice to finish the year with a win," said Golovko. "We played with a passion -- really played our tails off. I'm happy with our effort."
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Carter 7, Nick Campbell 4, Eddie DeArcos 2, Karlin Stewart 2, Bud Newborn 2.
 
SAN PEDRO 64,  VALHALLA 55 - VINCE HOUSTON hammered down a trio of three-pointers on his way to an 18-point night in Thursday's (Dec. 30) consolation championship of the Granite Hills Holiday Classic.
 
Down 43-42 after three quarters, the Norsemen (5-8) were making a game of it midway through the 4th period before the Pirates (7-7) pushed them off the plank by hitting a pair of threes and a deuce to pull away with three minutes remaining.
 
KYLE LUHNOW added 13 points and 6 rebounds for Valhalla, while PAUL MARTINS muscled in 13 points and handed out 3 assists. Houston had 4 assists.
 
Other Valhalla scoring: Conner Ruyeras 4, Brett Hansen 4, Ronnie Schwandt 3.
 
OCEANSIDE 64,  MONTE VISTA 61 - Monarchs coach ZACH PECK was somewhat less than impressed by his team's performance in Thursday's (Dec. 30) final round of the Mt. Carmel Holiday Hoops Classic.
 
"As well as we played on Monday and Tuesday, we played worse today than we would have on Nov. 13th," Peck said after Monte Vista (5-8) lost the 11th place game to the 4-8 Pirates.
 
Missing half of their 30 free throws was a key ingredient in the Monarchs' demise.
 
BRANDYN HARVEY's 21 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals was Monte Vista's best line of the day. The one blemish for Harvey was his 5-for-11 accuracy from the charity stripe.
 
CLINTON SNYDER added 18 points and ALLAN WATSON pulled down 9 rebounds for the Monarchs.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Chris Humphries 10, Watson 6, Trevor Peck 2, Joey Belanger 2, Ian Croft 1, Ryan Slade 1.
 
EVERGREEN VALLEY (San Jose) 57,  SANTANA 39 - The Sultans (7-6) fell behind early and then skidded to the finish line with a third straight loss in Thursday's (Dec. 30) final round of the Granite Hills Holiday Classic.
 
"They're playing hard but not getting enough shots," said assistant coach RICH MICHELMORE of the Sultans. "We weren't ready to play tonight. They jumped on us early and we failed to react."
 
Twenty-five turnovers certainly didn't help, but Santana launched only 29 shots from the field, connecting just eight times. Two of those were 3-pointers by RICKY MICHELMORE, who shared Santana's high-scoring honors with BILLY WICKENS at 9 each. Michelmore topped the Sultans with six rebounds..
 
Other Santana scoring:  Jon Corbisez 6, Jon Hernandez 4, Luke Eisele 3, Jeremy Patterson 3, Brooks Bass 2, Tai Purpero 2, Brian Bailey 1.
 
DEL CAMPO 63,  EL CAPITAN 46 - CORY BROWN turned in some nice numbers -- 15 points, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks and 4 assists --  but it didn't matter much as Del Campo of Sacramento cruised to Thursday's (Dec. 30) lopsided victory over the Vaqueros (4-9) in the 13th place game of the Mt. Carmel Holiday Hoops Classic.
 
DAVID REEDER added 6 rebounds and 4 steals to the El Capitan totals.
 
Other El Capitan scoring: Ray Harris 9, Daniel Krueger 9, Josh Ziegler 6, Reeder 5, Tyler Hill 2.
 
CALEXICO 69,  CHRISTIAN 60 - Senior C.J. SCHROEDER broke out of a season-long slump, hitting four 3-pointers en route to a season-high 16 points for the Patriots in Thursday's (Dec. 30) final round of the Granite Hills Holiday Classic.
 
"That was Schroeder's best game of the year," said Christian coach KEN BAILEY.
 
The Patriots, who dropped an earlier decision to the Bulldogs 58-53, closed a one-time 13-point deficit to three with a minute to play in the rematch. They missed the potential game-winning shot and Calexico closed the game out from the free throw line.
 
WAYNE RICHARDS (14 points) and DEREK LARSON (11) also finished in double scoring digits for Christian (6-7).
 
Other Christian scoring: Blaine Fodor 8, Grant Mills 6, Kellen Rossitto 3, Andrew Criswell 2.
(12-30-04)

Cougars make big-time noise by toppling nation's No. 1 St. Anthony's in OT
EastCountySports.com
 
EL CAJON - Steele Canyon rocked the high school basketball nation with a stunning 67-65 overtime upset of the No.1-ranked Friars of St. Anthony's (Jersey City, N.J.) to reach Thursday's (Dec. 30) finals in the National Division of the Holiday Prep Classic at 7:30 p.m. at Torrey Pines. Standing between the Cougars (9-0) and a clean sweep of the nation's elite are the El Toro Chargers (13-2) and their 7-foot-1 junior center David Foster. Elsewhere on Thursday, rebounding West Hills goes after the Aztec Holiday Invitational championship against Hilltop at Montgomery. Tipoff in that South Bay event is 8:15 p.m.
 
STEELE CANYON 67,  ST. ANTHONY'S 65 (OT) - Nights like these used to be commonplace when a skinny kid named Bill Walton used to jump center for the Helix Highlanders. For the Steele Canyon Cougars the din that filled the Torrey Pines gym was bedlam.
 
"I've calmed down," said Steele Canyon coach BRAD LEAF, who spoke from his car on the way home following one of San Diego County's greatest conquests. "We have the finals tomorrow. I don't know if the kids will be calmed down. We beat the best team in the whole United States."
 
Leaf's Cougars were billed as a team of five starters and no bench at the outset of the season. Yet, ironically it was the Steele Canyon bench that kept the Cougars with an unblemished record in Wednesday's (Dec. 29) Holiday Prep Classic (National Division) at Torrey Pines High.
 
This was some big deal for the Cougars who defied the odds by making a miraculous recovery from a 14-point deficit after its two tallest players fouled out.
 
JASON BEAUCHAMP and GEORGE CUNNINGHAM fouled out early in the 4th quarter, so Leaf called on his bench, bringing in juniors MITCH EMORY and LIONELL BALL.
 
"Somehow the whole thing turned around," Leaf recalled. "We kept pressuring them and pressuring them, and they just fell apart. It was wild in the gym, and it was packed -- standing room only. Everyone in the gym was for us -- it was such a home game. I don't know if we can top this. Just keep on playing, I guess."
 
Bottom line is Ball sank 2 free throws with 6 seconds left to give Steele Canyon the win over the nation's so-called best team.
 
Senior guard RICHIE WILLIAMS, who is about to be offered a scholarship offer by Washington State, led the Cougars with 23 points.
 
"Nobody gave us a chance to beat St. Anthony's (3-1)," Williams said. "But we kept pressuring them and they started turning the ball over."
 
St. Anthony's was charged with 33 turnovers - far more than a team with its talent would expect.
 
"Maybe I'm too stupid to believe it, but our quickness and heart overcame an exceptional team," Leaf said.
 
The Cougars connected on 28 of 41 free throws as St. Anthony's refused to stop fouling.
 
Junior WESLEY DAVIS chipped in a career high 14 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.
 
"I don't know what people can think of us now," Richie Williams said. "We've beaten the best so that should say something about our team."
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Raymond Williams 9, George Cunningham 7, Jason Beauchamp 6, Ball 4, Emory Mitchell 4.
 
WEST HILLS 64,  MONTGOMERY 57 - The battered but not beaten Wolf Pack of West Hills eliminated the host Aztecs of Montgomery in Wednesday's (Dec. 29) final round of pool play in the Aztec Holiday Invitational.
 
Sophomore PETER GILSON sank two free throws with 14 seconds remaining to extend West Hills' lead to 63-57. Gilson added a third free throw six seconds later to finish off the Aztecs.
 
Speaking of free throws, 6-foot-6, 285-pound RYAN SHUMAKER extended his free throw hitting streak to 21 consecutive connections over the last four games before missing on his 22nd try this night -- a technical foul shot.
 
"(PHILIP) STABACK, GILSON, SHUMAKER and (NATHAN) MUZQUIZ all played well," said West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG.
 
With West Hills leading by 6, Muzquiz scored on a backcut to extend the Wolf Pack's lead. Montgomery fought back. But Staback penetrated and found Shumaker open for an easy lay-up to make it 61-53.
 
Montgomery again scored, stole the ball and converted on that too, to cut the lead to 4 (61-57) with 40 seconds left.
 
After two empty possessions Gilson hauled in a defensive rebound and was fouled. The West Hills sophomore made both foul shots to make it 63-57 with 14 seconds on the clock.
 
Gilson again hauled down a missed Aztec attempt and was fouled. He netted one free throw to seal the deal.
 
Shumaker scored 10 points in the final quarter.
 
Other West Hills scoring: Shumaker 18, Peter Gilson 16, Nathan Muzquiz 11, Bo Hart 7, Quentin London 6, Staback 4, E.J. Brown 2.
 
HELIX 66,  MORSE 51 - When LANCE HURDLE is on his game the Helix Highlanders are darn near unbeatable. The 6-foot-2 senior guard was on the mark in Wednesday's third round of the Spartan Classic at Chula Vista High.
 
The UC Santa Barbara-bound Hurdle scored a career-high 34 points, connecting on 9 of 13 shots from the floor and 15 of 19 free throws. For good measure, Hurdle created 7 steals and dished 3 assists.
 
"Lance had a monster game," Helix coach JOHN SINGER said. "When he plays like that, we have a chance."
 
Nevertheless, the Highlanders (8-3) were playing catch-up after the Tigers gained a 15-6 1st quarter lead.
 
"We started really slow then grudged back into it," Singer said.
 
Helix led 43-40 entering the final quarter.
 
"We defended well and took good shots on offense and made free throws," commented Singer.
 
"MATT CALDWELL did a nice job defensively. He'll never be a guy who will score, but is tough on defense and is a good team player. BRANDON FOUNTAIN is also a good defender, makes smart decisions."
 
CLINTON SHELTON added 7 points and 10 rebounds for the Highlanders.
 
Other Helix scoring: Lawrence Hurdle 8, Brandon Brown 5, Greg Harvey 4, Caldwell 4, Fountain 2, Aaron Tinsley 2.
 
GROSSMONT 51,  MISSION HILLS 42 - Even when he doesn't score, senior point guard TYLER BARBOUR is the energy that fuels the Foothillers. The 5-foot-9 four-year starter handed out 10 assists as Grossmont dumped the Grizzlies in Wednesday's (Dec. 30) Aztec Holiday Invitational action.
 
"We played solid defense in the 2nd half, held them to one field goal in the 4th quarter and 3 field goals in the 3rd quarter," boasted Foothillers coach FRANK FOGGIANO.
 
TYLER HAJOSY popped in 20 points to spearhead the Foothillers' offense. He nailed a pair of threes and grabbed 6 rebounds.
 
"Hajosy did anything he wanted to. He was able to get open shots and he put them down," Foggiano said.
 
But Barbour was the main man in Foggiano's thoughts. A difference between thriving and surviving.
 
"He did a great job of running the offense and setting up our shooters where they had good looks," said Foggiano.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Casey Rummel 12, Luis Gonzales 9, Robert Gange 7, Justin Rutherford 3.
 
EL CAPITAN 66,  VALLEY CENTER 44 -- CORY BROWN scored 27 points and DANIEL KRUEGER tallied a season-best 26 points as the Vaqueros jolted the Jaguars in Wednesday's (Dec. 29) Mt. Carmel Holiday Hoops Classic action.
 
"We played a real decent game," said El Capitan coach ROSS FURROW.  "We rebounded well and cut our turnovers down. It was a motivational game, one we needed to have."
 
Krueger, who has cashed in 47 points in the last two games, claimed 10 rebounds in El Capitan's latest win. Brown collected a dozen rebounds and swatted away 8 enemy shots.
 
"Brown and Krueger were outstanding on both ends of the floor," Furrow added.
 
Other El Capitan scoring: David Reeder 7, Nick Murico 2, J. Ziegler 2, Paul Chastang 2.
 
VALHALLA 79,  CENTRAL UNION 76 - The high-scoring Norsemen finally had the last word in Wednesday's (Dec. 30) third round of the Granite Hills Holiday Classic.
 
Turns out it was the final word as senior CONNER RUYERAS broke a 76-all deadlock with a long-distance buzzer beater. The game-winning hoop capped a career-high 28-point scoring night for Ruyeras.
 
Even more impressive than his game-winning bucket was the fact that Ruyeras scored 20 of Valhalla's 30 4th quarter points.
 
Down 10 points with 3:30 minutes left in the 4th quarter, Valhalla mounted a furious comeback led by Ruyeras. When all was said and done, Ruyeras hit a game-tying trey to make it 72-72.
 
With 7 seconds left, Valhalla's VINCE HOUSTON drove the length of the court, dished it to Ruyeras, who hit a game-winner at the buzzer.
 
Other Valhalla scoring: Kyle Luhnow 17, Paul Martins 16, Houston 5, Brett Hansen 4, Ronnie Schwandt 3, Nasheel Raja 2, Jordan Maitilasso 2, Nasheel Raja 2.
 
HOMESTEAD 68, SANTANA 58 - Suddenly, Santana has lost its shooting eye. Or so says Sultans coach TIM BARRY after seeing his squad suffer a second straight loss due to poor marksmanship in Wednesday's (Dec.30) Granite Hills Holiday Classic action.
 
"It was an interesting game," Barry said. "We came out inspired, but didn't shoot well,"
 
The Sultans were hampered by 13 missed layups, 9 in the first half as San Jose Homestead (11-2) built a 34-22 lead.
 
Santana closed to within six with 3 minutes to play.
 
"We had a great 3rd quarter, made some adjustments at the half and they reacted well to them," said Barry. "Then they put it away in the 4th quarter. A 5-foot-6 guard named James Ross came in and hit 3 threes -- had a total of 10 points all night."
 
Homestead's Steve McLaughlin logged a game-high 24 points.
 
"He's the best player we've played against this season," Barry acknowledged.
 
RICKY MICHELMORE punched in 21 points - a dozen coming on a quartet of 3-pointers. The junior standout also had 9 rebounds and 4 assists.
 
Other Santana scoring:  Tai Purpero 11, Jon Hernandez 10, Brock Bass 5, Billy Wickens 5, Jon Corbisez 2, Brooks Bass 2, Jeremy Patterson 2.
 
CHRISTIAN 42,  SWEETWATER 36 - Senior WAYNE RICHARDS scored 14 points in a balanced attack Wednesday (Dec. 29) as the Patriots doused the Red Devils in Wednesday's (Dec. 30) consolation round of the Granite Hills Holiday Classic.
 
"We got off to a good start, shot well and played good defense," said Christian coach KEN BAILEY.
 
Christian held a 9-point lead at the half, and sat on a 12-point lead after three.
 
"We took care of the ball better," said Bailey. "And we got good production out of KELLEN ROSSITTO in the post."
 
Other Christian scoring: Derek Larson 8, C. J. Schroeder 8, Kellen Rossitto 7, Blaine Fodor 3, Andrew Criswell 2.
 
FALLBROOK 55,  GRANITE HILLS 45 - After a fast start, the Eagles hit the skids as they lost to the visiting Warriors in Wednesday's (Dec. 29) semifinal round of the Granite Hills Holiday Classic.
 
Granite Hills had a 12-point lead in the 2nd quarter, but Fallbrook (9-3) finished the half with a 14-3 run to trail only 26-25 by intermission.
 
"We played real well early," said Eagles coach RANDY ANDERSON.  "But our offense bogged down. We didn't hit our shots, and we gave them some threes."
 
NICK TAYLOR led the Eagles with 12 points and 6 rebounds. RYAN SNYDER added 11 points and 5 assists, while DAVID BAXTER netted 11 markers, the majority coming on his three 3-balls. CLARK GORDON added 6 points and 7 rebounds.
 
Other Granite Hills scoring: Branden Pride 3, Ricky Peitz 2.
 
EASTLAKE 61,  EL CAJON VALLEY 57 - Senior SHANE MYERS enjoyed a career day, scoring 27 points and snaring 13 rebounds as the Braves (4-8) succumbed to Eastlake (9-2) in Wednesday's (Dec. 29) semifinal game of the Granite Hills Holiday Classic
 
"We had a lead at halftime (38-32), then we came out and made a few turnovers," El Cajon Valley coach NATE REED said. "We got a little ahead of ourselves and they got a few free throws that put them ahead. But down the stretch we started putting it back together."
 
Unfortunately, not soon enough.
 
FRANK COLLINS pitched in 18 points - half of them coming on 3-balls - and hauled down 8 rebounds while dishing 4 assists for the Braves.
 
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Abraham Muheize 5, Chris Reynolds 3, Dori Laramore 2, Stephon Stafford 2.
 
CRAWFORD 69,  MOUNT MIGUEL 63 - Senior guard DEVIYON CARTER canned a season-high 21 points and collected 10 rebounds in Mount Miguel's loss to Crawford in Wednesday's (Dec. 29) consolation game of the Spartan Classic at Chula Vista High.
 
"We're not satisfied with the way we played," said Mount Miguel coach MIKE GOLOVKO. "We took a step back today. We're looking for effort, defensively, we were not there."
 
KENNY KEY added 16 points and a dozen rebounds for the Matadors (3-9).
 
"They (the Colts) were very fast -- the fastest we've seen," said Golovko. "Maurice Clady (23 points to lead all scorers) is the fastest guy we played all year."
 
Mount Miguel shaved the Colts lead to 59-58 midway through the 4th quarter, but faltered down the stretch.
 
"Poor free throw shooting (10 for 22) killed us again," lamented Golovko.
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Nick Campbell 8, Donnie Hiebing 8, Eddie DeArcos 3, Bud Newborn 5, Karlin Stewart 2.
 
SAN PASQUAL 72,  MONTE VISTA 59 - The Monarchs were playing catch-up from the get-go as they fell behind the Golden Eagles 38-30 by intermission in Wednesday's (Dec. 30) third round of the Mt. Carmel Holiday Hoops Classic.
 
"San Pasqual played well," said Monte Vista coach ZACH PECK. "They ran a zone defense with two scrambling, very quick guards and doubled and tripled CLINTON (SNYDER). Unfortunately, he responded like a defensive end -- and fouled out."
 
The fact that Snyder finished with 4 points - 13 below his season average  -- certainly had an effect on the Monarchs (5-7).
 
BRANDYN HARVEY hurled in 26 points to lead the Monarchs. TREVOR PECK added 13 markers for Monte Vista.
 
"We had it at 6 several times in the 3rd and 4th quarters, but never led as we turned the ball over early for lay-ups against the zone," said Peck. "We had only seen them play man in a previous game."
 
Other Monte Vista scoring:, Allan Watson 6, Chris Humphries 4, Remil Landrum 3, Ian Croft 2, Ryan Slade 1.
(12-29-04)

Cougars' win at Prep Classic sets up meeting with heralded St. Anthony's
EastCountySports.com
 
SAN DIEGO - Those who conduct polls, whether it be at the state or national level, can no longer ignore the Steele Canyon Cougars.
 
Senior do-it-all guard RICHIE WILLIAMS scored a career high 38 points to carry the Cougars to a 73-50 victory over Los Angeles Fremont - ranked No. 11 in the state - in Tuesday's (Dec. 28) second round National Division game in the 15th annual Holiday Prep Classic at Torrey Pines High.
 
Williams, a 5-foot-9 play-maker, misdirected the Pathfinders (5-2) from the get-go, hitting 7 of his first 8 shots en route to a 20-point 1st quarter and a 22-6 Steele Canyon lead.
 
"My impression after that first quarter was 'how come Richie isn't signed (by a college) yet,' " said Steele Canyon's 6-foot-7 senior center GEORGE CUNNINGHAM. "He scored from everywhere. They couldn't stop him."
 
Williams was on the mark with 10 of his 17 shots from the field and connected on 15 of his 21 free throws.
 
It was good timing by Williams, as the audience was well stocked with college scouts.
 
â¤The college scouts were all over him,â¤? Steele Canyon coach BRAD LEAF said. â¤Washington State, SDSU, Air Force, Navy, Humboldt State ⤠they were all here.â¤?
 
Considering Steele Canyon (8-0) takes on the nation's top-ranked team -- St. Anthony's (3-0) of Jersey City, N.J. in Wednesday's (Dec. 29) National Division semifinals at 6:30 p.m., the flock of college scouts should swell considerably.
 
"I've never been more excited about a game than I am about playing St. Anthony's," said Cunningham, who finished with 9 points and 13 rebounds against Fremont. â¤I hear people say Steele Canyon is good for a San Diego team, but I know we are better than that. We've already proved that by beating two teams ranked ahead of us in this tournament."
 
The coupe de grace would be a Steele Canyon win over the so-called invincible St. Anthony's.  
 
Not to be overlooked was Cunningham's defensive shutout of Fremont's 6-foot-9 post Lindsey Robinson.
 
"I saw him score 16 points the other night, so our strategy was for me to play behind him," Cunningham said. "He has some good moves, but we were ready. I had a lot of help, too."
 
Leaf heralded Cunningham's defensive work.
 
"George kept him 8-to-10 feet from the basket," Leaf said. "His effort was big-time crucial."
 
A 16-1 run in the 3rd quarter derailed Fremont from any hope of a comeback.
 
JASON BEAUCHAMP contributed 11 points and 14 rebounds for the undefeated and top-ranked Cougars, while Cunningham bagged 15 boards and chipped in 9 points. Speedy junior guard RAYMOND WILLIAMS matched his brother's trio of 3-pointers and totaled 11 markers for the evening. 
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Emory Mitchell 2, Johnathan Douglas 1, Wes Davis 1.
 
EL CAJON VALLEY 74, SERRA 52 - Don't discount the El Cajon Valley Braves out of the Grossmont North League race just yet. Coach NATE REED's squad is just beginning to reach a crescendo in the Granite Hills Holiday Classic at Granite Hills.
 
In perhaps their most impressive win in three years, the Braves clobbered the Conquistadors by a stunning 22-point margin in the second round of the tournament.
 
The Braves (4-7) rode a balanced attack keyed by FRANK COLLINS' 19 points as they won for the third time in four starts. Five El Cajon Valley players contributed 9 or more points to sink Serra.
 
"We came to play tonight, we were ready," Reed said.
 
Point guard ABRAHAM MUHEIZE chipped in 9 points and 6 assists for El Cajon Valley.
 
"Muheize was really upbeat tonight, only made two turnovers," Reed noted.
 
CHRIS REYNOLDS had a big night with 18 points and 7 rebounds, while SHANE MYERS stuffed in an additional 15 points and corralled a team-high 8 caroms.
 
STEPHON STAFFORD played perhaps his best game for the Braves, finishing with 11 points.
 
 â¤We did a good job of slowing them down,â¤? Reed said. â¤Balanced scoring was key.â¤?
 
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Dori Laramore 2.
 
GRANITE HILLS 68,  HOMESTEAD 57 -- The topsy-turvy Eagles of Granite Hills locked in from the opening tip Tuesday (Dec. 28) as they upset San Jose Homestead in the second round of the Granite Hills Holiday Classic.
 
DAVID BAXTER scored half of his 22 points in the first half and RYAN SNYDER matched his opening half effort as the Eagles (6-4) earned a 34-28 halftime lead.
 
Baxter buried five 3-balls while ripping off 6 rebounds and dishing off 6 assists.
 
NICK TAYLOR nailed 8 of 11 free throws on his way to a 21-point night that included a trio of 3-balls and 4 steals for the winners.
 
CLARK GORDON paced the Eagles on the boards with 10 rebounds.
 
Other Granite Hills scoring: Snyder 14, Kurtis Smith 5, Gordon 4, Justin Villanueva 1, Branden Pride 1.
 
WEST HILLS 50,  MAPLE RIDGE (CANADA) 30 -- Wolf Pack senior center RYAN SHUMAKER found himself surrounded by some tall timber in Tuesday's (Dec. 28) second round of the Aztec Holiday Invitational at Montgomery.
 
The Canadians from Victoria, British Columbia featured an inside trio standing in at 6-foot-9, 6-8 and 6-6. The Pack's Shumaker measures 6-6 and tips the Toledos at 285 pounds.
 
"It was a nice challenge for 'Shu,' " West Hills coach JEFF ARMSTRONG said. "He stayed aggressive and held his own in there."
 
Shumaker, who scored a season high 25 points on Monday, banged and snarled his way for 19 points against the Canadians.
 
"We jumped on the big fella's back and he carried us," said Armstrong of Shumaker, who is 14-for-14 from the free throw in his last two games. "And credit our other kids for making some nice feeds to 'Shu.' "
 
PHILIP STABACK, promoted from the junior varsity two weeks into the season, has become a quality floor leader for the Wolf Pack (5-5).
 
"He's done just a great job of directing things out there on the floor for us," Armstrong said of Staback, who is also a quarterback for the West Hills football team.  
 
Another impressive note for the Wolf Pack is it held Maple Ridge to single scoring digits in all four quarters.
 
"This was one of the better defensive efforts of the year," Armstrong agreed.
 
Other West Hills scoring: Peter Gilson 7, Bo Hart 5, Staback 5, E.J. Brown 5, Nathan Muzquiz 4, Miles Pivonka 2, Matt Sutton 2, Quentin London 1.
 
MONTE VISTA 71,  DEL CAMPO 59 -Senior BRANDYN HARVEY was a blue-chip receiver and defensive back for the Monte Vista football team. Accordingly, Harvey was heaped post-season accolades. The 6-foot-3 guard isn't too bad on the basketball court, either.
 
Harvey scored a career-high 30 points, the majority coming from the field, in Tuesday's (Dec. 28) Mt. Carmel Holiday Hoops Classic as the Monarchs (5-6) won for the third time in their last four starts.
 
"Brandyn is scoring a lot, particularly inside although he hit both outside (3-point) shots in this game," Monte Vista coach ZACH PECK said. "We all have to play better defense." 
 
CLINTON SNYDER added 13 points and freshman REMIL LANDRUM tossed in 10 for Monte Vista.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Chris Humphries 5, Trevor Peck 5, Allan Watson 4, Ryan Slade 4.
 
NEWPORT HARBOR 57,  HELIX 51 - Highlanders coach JOHN SINGER was borderline angry over Helix's performance in Tuesday's (Dec. 28) second round of the Spartan Classic at Chula Vista High.
 
Frustrated. Disgusted. Upset. Over the years, Singer's Highlanders have grown accustomed to reaching the semifinals and playing for the tournament title in this event.
 
That won't happen this year thanks to the Sailors of Newport Harbor.
 
"We played horribly -- just didn't have it tonight," he said. "We fouled a bunch of their guys out and couldn't buy a basket."
 
Helix was a paltry 12-for-30 from the free throw line. The Highlanders (7-3) were an unimpressive 18-for-52 from the field.
 
Outside of LANCE HURDLE's 21 points and 7 rebounds, the Highlanders did not have much to offer. LAWRENCE HURDLE contributed 5 assists and CLINTON SHELTON claimed 9 rebounds.
 
"Lance didn't have his best game, but he didn't lose it for us," Singer said. "When they defense Lance, the other guys need to step up. We have to have other guys score. We had six guys score, but the high was 7."
 
Other Helix scoring: Lawrence Hurdle 7, Greg Harvey 7, Shelton 6, Brandon Brown 4, Aaron Tinsley 3, Brandon Fountain 2, Matt Caldwell 1.
 
VALHALLA 59,  SWEETWATER 51 - Valhalla's ERIC THOMAS must have felt more like a hockey coach than a basketball coach as he made wholesale lineup changes throughout Tuesday's (Dec. 28) Granite Hills Holiday Classic game.
 
"I was subbing them in five at a time," Thomas said. "Sure, I know there are people who think we should have beaten this team by a wider margin and they might be right. All I know is I played 10 kids and nine of them scored."
 
Nevertheless, the Norsemen (4-7) led by as many as 20 points in the 3rd quarter before cruising home with the victory.
 
Guard VINCE HOUSTON led Valhalla with 12 points and 6 assists.
 
Other Valhalla scoring: Kyle Luhnow 9, Conner Ruyeras 9, Ronnie Schwandt 9, Paul Martins 9, Brett Hansen 4, Nasheel Raja 3, Chris Zukose 2, Jordan Maitilasso 2.
 
VISTA 53,  MOUNT MIGUEL 48 - The suddenly more controlled Matadors could not put the brakes on Vista's 6-foot-8 center Kenny Lawson who torched them for 21 points in Tuesday's (Dec. 28) Spartan Classic contest at Chula Vista High.
 
"They are exceptional at what they do," said Matadors coach MIKE GOLOVKO of the Panthers. "Vista is the best North County team we have played."
 
Vista owns a 7-4 record, yet is basically lost in the shuffle among the North County elite.
 
"Our kids played real hard, they've played as hard as they can and have done everything we've asked of them,â" Golovko said.
 
KENNY KEY canned 15 points and collected 8 rebounds for the Matadors (3-8), who also received a dozen points and 6 rebounds from EDDIE DeARCOS.  BUD NEWBORN handed out 4 assists and hauled in 8 rebounds.
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Donnie Hiebing 6, Deviyon Carter 6, Newborn 3, Karlin Stewart 2, Michael Love 2, Nick Campbell 2.
 
FALLBROOK 47,  SANTANA 23 -- The Sultans (7-4) came into this Granite Hills Holiday Classic game on Tuesday (Dec. 28) averaging more than 56 points per game. But the stingy Warriors of Fallbrook limited them to 2 points in the 1st and 4th quarters, which added up to a season-low scoring effort.
 
Was it great defense by Fallbrook or poor shooting by Santana? The figures show the Sultans netting just 10 of 52 field goal tries, which is slightly better than 19 percent.
 
"We got the opening tip and then missed our first eight shots," Santana coach TIM BARRY said. "We were off-balance and didn't rebound at either end. Basically, we really stunk the gym up."
 
Other Santana scoring:  Jon Hernandez 6, Ricky Michelmore 5, Jon Corbisez 4, Brooks Bass 4, Billy Wickens 2, Brock Bass 1, Luke Eisele 1.
 
CENTRAL UNION 68,  CHRISTIAN 45 -- The Spartans from the Imperial Valley had too much firepower for the inexperienced Patriots to defuse in Tuesday's (Dec. 28) Granite Hills Holiday Classic at Valhalla.
 
"It was a seven-point game at the half," said Christian coach KEN BAILEY. "Then we went stone cold in the 3rd quarter. We had no answer to (Central⤙s 6-foot-4 Israel) Guardado. He was a monster at the post."
 
WAYNE RICHARDS was the lone Christian player to reach double figures, finishing with 14 points.
 
"We're still making too many turnovers," said Bailey. "They took us out of our game in the second half."

Other Christian scoring: Andrew Criswell 8, C.J. Schroeder 7, Blaine Fodor 6, Derek Larson 4, Kellen Rossitto 4, Grant Mills 2.
 
HILLTOP 50,  GROSSMONT 41 -- There are those who believe the Hilltop Lancers to be worthy of a Top 10 ranking. If that's true, the Foothillers of Grossmont must have played a respectable ballgame in Tuesday's (Dec. 28) second round of the Aztec Holiday Invitational at Montgomery.
 
Grossmont cut Hilltop's lead to two with 3 minutes to play, but that would be as close as the Hillers (5-6) would get.
 
"It was a slow, methodical game," said Grossmont coach FRANK FOGGIANO.
 
TYLER HAJOSY hammered down 19 points and grabbed a handful of rebounds to pace the Foothillers. TYLER BARBOUR led the supporting cast with 10 points and 6 assists, while ROBERT GANGE landed 8 points and grabbed a team-best 6 rebounds.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Luis Gonzales 4.
 
CANYON 66,  EL CAPITAN 54 -- Senior DANIEL KRUEGER overcame early foul trouble to score 21 points -- nine from above the arc -- in Tuesday's (Dec. 28) second round of the Mt. Carmel Holiday Hoops Classic. But the Vaqueros (3-8) were tagged with their third loss in four games.
 
CORY BROWN added 12 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks for El Capitan, which was outscored 43-26 in the middle two quarters. NICK MURICO chipped in with 3 blocks and 5 rebounds.
 
Other El Capitan scoring: David Reeder 9, Ray Harris 6, Tyler Hill 4, Murico 2.
(12-28-04)